Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 4

An Experience that Made Me Who I am Today

I can safely say that one year ago I was a totally different person than I am now. I also have no trouble pin pointing the exact moment things changed. A year ago I was battling depression, struggling to finish my degree, losing my drive at work, drinking, eating way too much, making the wrong friends and overall in a very dangerous place. How I had gotten myself here? I'm not quite sure, they say hindsight is 20/20 but things are still a little fuzzy. I know many of the factors leading up to it, but that's besides the point anyways, right?

The moment things changed for me was when I saw those two little pink lines. The moment I knew I was going to be a mother my world changed - and so did I. I beat my depression, got back in contact with my family, got my motivation back, finished school (with no trouble), moved away from a toxic environment, started a healthy lifestyle, even started praying again. I mended broken bridges and made a promise to be the best person I could be; if not for myself then for my wee one-to-be.

I have a completely new outlook on life, I am not nearly as naive as I was and much more 'grown up', if you will. I am proud of who I am again, and happy. I am not saying its not hard, that its not a struggle every day to be a better me - but I now have the drive and a reason to keep going.

Interested in doing the 31 Day Challenge? Check out it's gravy, baby! for a list of all the topics.

Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 3

My Favourite Shows

I have tried to stop spending so much time watching TV - especially now that the weather is warming up. Our satellite subscription ends tomorrow (eeek!), but never the less, I routinely watch a few shows online. They include Castle, Bones, American Idol, How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory.

American Idol caught me by surprise this season... I had totally lost the Idol fever several seasons ago - I didn't even watch it to see Ellen! However, this year, I'm not sure if it is the new judges, the contestants or just dumb luck that I'm hooked again - but man, it's going to be good!

In my opinion this is the funniest show on television right now. Maybe its because in most cases I empathize with the boys on the show, and tend to understand their pain, or the fact that it satifies my nerd-quota for the week. Whatever it is though I absolutely love this show.

This is a show I got hooked on only a year or so ago - cue a multiple season marathon and I was caught up within a week. (Holy 5+ seasons batman.) I love the drama, but am so sad for Booth right now!

Okay... not only is this show amazing in its own right, but all the references to Firefly and Serenity? Awesome.

Recently demoted to second funniest show on television (see above), but still a winner. Neil Patrick Harris has once again stolen my heart.

Interested in doing the 31 Day Challenge? Check out it's gravy, baby! for a list of all the topics.

Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 2

The People That Make Your World Go Around

Like Whitney at it's gravy, baby! words fail here, so instead here are some pictures.

My Itty Bitty Raspberry

My Favourite Little Sister

 
And of course the rest of my family; I would be lost without my parents support and my brother's love. Can I include my dog on this list? My friends are also cornerstone in my life. Oh man... I could keep going. There are so many who keep me grounded, motivated, inspired and that without I would enjoy life a lot less.

Interested in doing the 31 Day Challenge? Check out it's gravy, baby! for a list of all the topics.

Photo & Prompt Challenge: Day 1

A Photo of Yourself & 10 Facts

I am a single mother to a beautiful baby girl, who is the most magical little person I could have ever imagined.

I graduated from University with a degree in Biology and Mathematics.

I aspire to be both a Teacher and a Veterinarian. I hear back from Teacher's College on April 1st! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I look a lot younger than I actually am, and get mistaken for still being in High school all the time. *sigh*. I am told this will be a blessing one day.

My daughter has a dairy and nut intolerance - even through breast milk. Being off dairy is one of the hardest things I have ever done, who knew I would miss cheese this much?

I have an 80 lb dog (who is supposed to be a very menacing breed by the way) who is afraid of umbrellas, hair dryers, laundry baskets, hair clips and bowls when they are turned upside down.

I cannot keep a plant alive no matter how hard I try.

I have massive amounts of curly hair that does not like to be tamed - and I can probably count the hair on my little one's head with one hand. I don't think it even counts as peach fuzz!

One of my favourite things to do is curl up in the dark, by a window, during a thunderstorm. They make me feel so safe for some reason. Is that strange?

I am practically blind without my glasses, and am seriously considering lasik... but I've heard you can smell your eyes burning - and I'm too scared now.

Interested in doing the 31 Day Challenge? Check out it's gravy, baby! for a list of all the topics.

31 Day Post Challenge

I saw this on a couple blogs and thought it would be a great way to get to know one another. It started on it's gravy, baby! and is spreading like wildfire. If you join in make sure to leave comments on other people's blogs! Don't worry if you're behind (like me) - either start from Day 1, and do one a day or do a bunch today to catch up - or just start on the next one with everyone else!

Cookbook Review #1

Yay! So this is my first review on this blog, and it's going to start off on a high note! :) I just want to include a disclaimer first. Although I am not adverse to paid blogging, or paid reviews, these cookbook reviews are not paid or endorsed. I have either bought the cookbook myself, rented it from the library or received it as a gift from a friend (everyone knows I love to cook). So, all opinions are 100% mine, and you can take it or leave it at will.



The first book I am reviewing is The Gourmet Pregnancy by Leah Douglas. Let me start off by saying, I have totally enjoyed this book. I am kind of in love, and am really sad I do not own it myself. Although it has "pregnancy" in the title it is absolutely fantastic for both pregnant women and those who aren't. I fed my entire family these recipes and haven't had a single problem yet. The fact that it IS pregnancy friendly is a bonus though, no need to worry about specific ingredients, and most recipes are very high in calcium and folic acid. The book has full sized, beautiful photographs for almost every recipe (taken by Leah's husband, actually)... and your food comes out looking like the pictures... which always makes me feel better. Leah has also included cute little intro's to each recipe that actually can be very informative.

As for the structure itself the book is split up into sections. Below are the sections within the book, and the recipes I have tried.

Breakfasts & Brunch
Snacks & Sidekicks
Appetizers
Lighter Fare

• Butternut Squash and Carrot Ginger Soup with Creme Fraiche
• Spiced Caramelized Cauliflower and Candied Curry Pecan Salad

Entrees

• Tilapia Fillets with Coconut Curry Cream Sauce
• Eggplant and Spinach Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce
• Ancho Chili Chicken and Zucchini with Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Desserts

• Chocolate Mousse Cake with Chocolate Cookie Toffee Crust
• Toffee Coffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Almond Mocha Nanaimo Bars
• London Fog Cupcakes (pictured above, oh so good.)
  

Drinks

There are still a dozen or so recipes I want to try from the book too, and very few in the book are 'run of the mill' recipes I already know. Which is a problem I find in a lot of other books (and why the library is my resource) and the fact that I could find so many exciting recipes in one short book was amazing! I can't wait to try out more! Including her French Fusion Onion Soup and the Salmon, Zucchini and Sweet Corn Latkes with Dill Sour Cream. All her recipes are very modern and use good, fresh ingredients, a good amount of fresh spices and nothing too out of the ordinary - which is nice for my budget. Her explanations are helpful, and every recipe I've tried so far has been a hit with the family (except I had an aversion to the coconut milk while I was cooking the Tilapia... but that's just pregnancy for you... I usually love recipes with coconut milk. Everyone else had second or third helpings of the sauce.)

The only thing I would complain about if I HAD to would be her Breakfast Section, it does edge towards run of the mill a little. With only one recipe I haven't done/had a variation of which is the Latkes. Though I've always been a big breakfast eater - so this isn't necessarily the case for everyone.

All in all I give this book two thumbs up, and would recommend it to everyone, from the brand new cooks to the quite experienced.

Cabin Fever

So, way back in May I had to leave my job. Why? Not because I didn't love it, I worked at a great petstore with wonderful people, had great hours and decent customers. I had to leave because of health concerns. Not only was I battling horrible morning sickness at that point (which when combined with the fragrance of a petstore made food unbearable. I lost 10+ lbs in my first three months of pregnancy), but there was a lot of potential risks for little raspberry. I had never owned a cat up until the year before, who I also had to sell - because of the risk of toxoplasmosis - so I wasn't allowed to touch any of the cats, or clean their habitats... I also could not come in contact with our turtles or any of our birds in case of Salmonella. Apparently hedgehogs and ferrets are no-no's too. We also had an extensive aquatic section, which I had to avoid, or be very very careful in. So, my doctor recommended I leave, or have my employer find me a position in which I didn't have to interact with so many animals. Yeah. Not so possible in that store. So I left.

Right around that time I decided to hurry up my degree and take my last two courses in summer school... so from May - June I was nice and busy. After that was the move, then MCAT studying. My MCATs were written a week before my baby shower, so I had lots of prep until then.

But now? Nothing. I know I know, yesterday I was complaining that my to-do list is a million miles long. But, hear me out. For the past five years I've been a Biology and Mathematics student at University, I've always had my hands full volunteering, running clubs and working at the very least part time. This last year, although I wasn't in school full time I was working fulltime at a job I took very seriously - I would learn as much as I could about all the breeds of dogs we had, all the different types of animals and even those we didn't sell, so I could be as informed as possible for the customers. I was constantly learning. As well, I was Assistant Manager - and had my hands full trying to keep things as organized as possible. I have always had something to occupy my mind with.

And let's face it. Making sure the nursery looks as perfect as possible, and packing a suitcase for the hospital aren't exactly taxing. I'm going a little stir crazy. I've been reading a ton of books, and cooking up a storm... but I'm bored. And the worst part? I know I shouldn't start any new projects, because in four weeks I'll have plenty to occupy myself with, but I really really want to. I also have a ton of ideas of things to do! Ah. What to do what to do... *whine*

Three weeks, Six days.

I have decided to do something though. I haven't picked one from my list of ideas, but as soon as I do I'll let the world know. It just has to be something that in a month I can take a nice hiatus from. Right?