Guilt-free Friday!

Hello loves, it's Friday!? This week has been a fantastically drowsy blur. We got "snow" here in Coastal Carolina (more on that later!) so life stood still for a few days. Now the ice melts outside my window, slowly and surely, reminding me life too must begin again. I feel refreshed. It was a welcome break, a nice change of perspective, and the perfect dose of winter. Now the sun is back with a vengeance, and my spring fever with equal vigor. But for now, tomorrow is February, and you know how I love all things sweet. 

In the mean time, it's the weekend… I hope yours is the happiest. xoxo

Hey! It's ok… 

If all "beach body preparations" are being abandoned until after Valentine's Day. (I'm lookin at you, Ferrero Rocher) 

If Adult Snow Days include significantly more red wine than hot cocoa. 

To rep your favorite team on Sunday… even if they're not actually in the Super Bowl this year. (Go Panthers!)

put an egg on it

Remember when we talked about microwave poaching? That's for babies. I poached an egg on the stove last week sans vinegar which officially makes me a culinary B.A. 

Ok, since we're doing this whole honesty, full-disclosure thing…

1.  I wanted a salad for lunch, but a girl’s gotta eat! I needed protein too and I was out of chicken. I like to save grocery store trips for torrential downpours, so that didn't happen until later in the day (cue thunder and lightning)

2. As far as groceries go? Out of white vinegar too. (I do have a fine, aged balsamic, but research shows it doesn’t have the same effect. Drats.) 

3. My (shanty)townhouse's microwave is rusted through, so microwave poaching would probably result in a display resembling the 4th of July. Don't even get me started on microwave popcorn. [Update: My microwave has been replaced. Praise.]

But y’all. It’s really not that hard!

So here’s the long and the short of it. I immediately texted my dad (natch) b/c he’s kind of an egg guy. One great thing about my dad is that he makes the same cheesy jokes over and over, but I swear they get funnier every time. One of those jokes is “Put an egg on it…” which he really does say about pretty much everything.  I was thrilled to find this book for him for Christmas. But really it’s kind of true… you can put an egg on just about anything. And if it’s perfectly poached? (insert pat on back) Winner winner chicken egg dinner… er, lunch.

So tell me, do you relegate eggs to Saturday mornings, or have you tried them in other interesting dishes too?

p.s. as far as poaching goes… the swirl is crucial. :) 

Cheers!

Here's to…

…cutting to the chase

…trusting the process

...structure, discipline, goals

…being honest, staying true

…more face time (and FaceTime) 

…the heroine and not the damsel

…beyond your wildest dreams

…more second chances, less second guessing

…fewer walls, more windows

…more comfortable beyond the comfort zone

… writing, for heaven's sake! 

…holding hands, holding my tongue, holding every thought captive

…giving less, taking more [advice, that is]

...doing all things with great love.

Never a resolution, always a toast. 

It's been a wild one. I look back at previous toasts for 2011, 2012, and 2013 and it's crazy to think about the ride (and to think we've been toasting this long!) 

A little late, but I hope your 2014 is off to a fabulous start, let's have an amazing year. xo

Parched.

When it comes to minor ailments, I have my slew. My head aches sometimes. My stomach hurts when I get anxious or if I eat something weird or if it's 9:30 pm on a Tuesday. My face breaks out when I'm stressed or hormonal or if I tilt my head in the wrong direction. My knees and ankles pop when I walk down the stairs. I'm really fortunate though. All my "problems" are minor, and I never take my health for granted. I read this article though and realized something had to change..

Disclaimer: This right here folks is a game changer. Seriously. Game. Changer.

I realized I've been living in a constant state of dehydration. Incidentally, proper hydration can help reduce headaches, aid digestion, and can even improve skin's appearance. Here's the part where I'm totally superficial, I saw this before and after picture and I haven't looked back.

You can read the original article here, but basically this lady was having headaches and digestion problems and she read the staying hydrated could help. So she decided to give it a shot. She committed to one month, 4 weeks, of drinking more water. The added bonus? The dramatic affect it had on her appearance. Doesn't she look 10 years younger? And healthy and vibrant and full of life?

My friend Sarah and I are calling it "The Water Challenge." It's fairly straightforward… just drink the recommended amount of water daily for a month. A good rule of thumb to determine how much to drink? Half your body weight but in ounces. So if you weigh 140 pounds, drink 70 ounces of water a day. We started Sunday and I can already tell a difference in how I feel.

Psst… if you're like me & you have trouble keeping your water goals try this: 20 oz before coffee in the morning. It has made a world of difference for me. Also, having a friend do it to helps! And I may or may not have this before and after picture saved to my phone for inspiration...

Pumpkin French Toast

This may come as a surprise to you, but I don't have it all figured out. I know, I know... it gets me every time. Some days are better than others... occasionally my bra matches my underwear, sometimes I remember to take my vitamins, and I always manage to pay my bills before they're actually due. But then I find myself in my bed at 11:30pm eating Hello Pandas for "dinner" and denying myself the most basic of human needs (wine) in lieu of the 5 extra pounds that have taken residence on my arse. This is 24, I guess.

I take comfort in breakfast. I don't have it all figured out, but when it comes to breakfast, I'm getting there. I can always count on my coffee to be hot and delicious and I find solace in the fact that I can make Pumpkin French Toast for under 300 calories. That's what matters, right?

[I made 3 pieces. I was feeling indulgent and excessive and overly excited by the fact that this bread only has 80 calories per slice.]

[Ingredients. Totally simple. I make French Toast the way my mom does... Lots of cinnamon and nutmeg and some vanilla. No measurements, just eyeball it. I subbed egg whites to make it a little skinnier. (That's how you rationalize eating 3 pieces.) If you really wanna go pumpkin crazy, use pumpkin pie spice... it's pretty much the same thing.]

[Dip, griddle, candles, coffee.]

[My eyes were bigger than my stomach. But I went for a beach run & ate this last piece when I got home.] 

What are you eating for breakfast this fall?

This is what fall looks like...

All of the sudden the weather got perfect. I mean really, painfully perfect. I found myself exclaiming, "It's so nice out..." every time I went outside. The skies are sunny and blue, the temperatures are mild... these are the kind of days that make you thankful to be alive. So I've been filling my time with lots of lovely little things that make my heart full. This is what fall looks like (around here)

Crafting (I made this!)

Arguably too much Octoberfest (and a few extra pounds to show for it)

So naturally I went with OPI's "Every Month is Oktoberfect" for my mani/pedi

(the perfect moody, vampish purple with flecks of orangey red)

Family dinners (al fresco, followed by fireside smores)

picnic lunch catch-up with an old friend after 3 years apart 

A (not-so) spooky read, fitting for the month

sweet potato pancakes at brunch (al fresco) with my sweet girlfriends

a pretty convincing breakfast invite from my daddy

Long runs outside (in hopes of offsetting all the Sam Seasonal...)

The perfect running buddy (and equally perfect view)

Halloween costumes for pups (and the funniest snap chat from my brother)

doing some decorating with baby pumpkins 

driving around with the top down and embracing the crazy hair that ensues

Beaufort, boats, more beer (this time Blue Moon, dockside)

cozy cooking (dutch oven ziti, shrimp scampi)

burning my seasonal Christmas candles 

In case you didn't notice, I've been doing everything I can outside.* I swear the fresh air is therapeutic. Making some (tough) decisions, but reminding myself not to take things (especially myself) too seriously. Trying to embrace it all- the work, the struggle, the climb uphill and the subsequent coast back down. 

*If I were to come up with a witty title for this post it might be faAL FRESCO... punny, right?

On My Mind...

Hiatus.

Sometimes you just need a break. 

To clear your mind. To find your mind. To thine own self be true.

(But do we ever really find the things we’ve lost?)

So you take a step back, you walk away, maybe even running without so much as looking back. You’re pedaling faster and faster and then: your legs get tired. Or you’ve seen all you needed to see. Or you’ve found what you were looking for.

Or maybe you haven’t

[and the sea is getting awfully rough] so you’ve decided to adjust your sails, turn around, and head back to that one particular harbor. And you can.

But it’s never the same. Life doesn’t stay where you leave it.

The scenery has changed; the air is different, thicker, stifling. Those same familiar birds have flown south and there’s an empty kind of feeling. The skeleton of what used to be. Like a house that’s been burned to the ground, only the splintering frame remains.

So before you put it in reverse, think twice. Do not be afraid of greatness. Going forward is scary, but sometimes going back is all the more unsettling.

“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

It’s no coincidence that Helen Keller said that. Even when storm clouds blind your view, and you can’t see what lies ahead; know that what you’ve left behind is a mystery now too. We know what we are, but not what we may be.

The things that could have been are just as secret as the things that are yet to come, to be, or not to be.

So plow forward, diving headfirst into the next great adventure.

For what’s past is prologue.

your turn. xoxo