Incredible

I am finally moving forward in phone technology! Goodbye Blackberry. Hello Droid.

Now I just need to figure out the migration. Fun.

I finished a book!

My reading velocity has gone down as of late. I don't think I kept a list of books I read last year. I suspect the list would have been relatively small. Oh well, I did LOTS of other fun stuff last year. This year I am starting to read eBooks (thanks iPad!) as well as the good ol' stand by books.

I started The Cloud Sketcher sometime in fall of 2011. It wasn't boring, but it did take me some time to read it. Overall, it was pretty good. An epic tale -- similar to other books I pick up and enjoy. Love, architecture, 1920s - how could it not be entertaining?

Pretty sure I did toe stand wrong tonight. It is the first time I have tried it, so I'm going to have to try again. Yoga is a practice.

Where have I been? Apparently out to eat.

Celebrations of all kinds have taken me out for delicious dining in the past few days.

Thanks S for leaving the company, finding a great new opportunity and giving us a reason to eat at Tum Rup Thai. The sweet peanut curry (with beef) was absolutely delightful.

Thanks T for finding a bargain which allowed me to eat lobster mashed potatoes. Yum.

Thanks P for making work trips to Chicago a bit more fun, and for living in the neighborhood where a new modern, sexy Spanish place opened! The corn pudding and lamb sausage were super. Totally worth it for the Stone IPA on tap, even if the dessert menu was totally blah ....and the dessert itself was blah too.

this week in greatness

I confess there are more than a handful of times in the last couple weeks were I haven't been truly present. Living in the moment is something I enjoy, so this is a bit frustrating for me. As of late, life has been reminding me of such and gifted me with some wonder and greatness. So I'm sharing.....

snow.
It is January in Minneapolis and we have almost no snow. I can see grass in my yard. On occasion, this makes me sad. I like snow. It makes winter worthwhile. Last night while walking Jack around the lake (and dodging all the set-up and crew for the US Pond Hockey tourney at Nokomis this weekend), it started to snow big, fluffy flakes. It snowed pretty much the entire walk, then stopped as if it snowed only for me. That's what I will believe anyway.

tripod headstand.
I have worked this pose for months and been so close to the full expression. Until this week, one day I just popped up into it (twice). It feels like floating upside down. Because yoga is a practice, I don't expect to always be able to do it. Knowing I can (and did) is great. Now to work on supported headstand!

those darn kids.
My friend's kids are amazing. This week I received two wonderful gifts from those little angels. Harper made me a star magnet. Maria drew me a picture with the note "I love you Karin" (Jane sent it to me in the mail). Sweet.

chicken chili

The weather has turned cold again. It was fitting to eat the leftovers last night post (cold, windy, short) run.
Maybe not so fitting for Sunday, which was warm and sunny.

Football game + chili sounded like the perfect match when planning for the event. Then meatloaf happened, and an amazing pot roast sandwich at Mort's Deli. Instead of overloading on red meat, I decided to make chicken chili. This took some research, as many of the recipes have cheese and/or sour cream as thickening agents.

I started with the Pioneer Woman's recipe as a base. ...and used her secret milk + cornmeal to thicken it up some.

Chicken Chili
Description: Hearty Chicken and Bean chili
Author/Source: KB


INGREDIENTS
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 (4 oz) can green chilies
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or white pepper)
4 cups chicken broth
1 jalapeno pepper
½ cup carrots, diced
2 cans white beans (cannellini or navy)
1 can chili bean mixture (black, kidney, chili mixture)
1 slice crispy bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
1 whole rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup 2% milk
2 Tbsp cornmeal

DIRECTIONS
In a large soup pot, heat olive oil. Add onion and saute over medium high heat for 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add green chilies and reduce heat to medium. Add chili powder, cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne pepper and saute for 3 minutes.

Add chicken broth and increase heat to high until the broth boils, then reduce to simmer for 5 minutes.

Add carrots, jalapeno and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Add beans, bacon and chicken. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes. While the chili is simmering, combine milk and cornmeal in a bowl or measuring cup and whisk to combine. Increase heat to high, pour in milk mixture and let the chili boil for 2-3 minutes. Return to simmer for 10 minutes. Serve.


Notes
For a less spicy chili, do NOT include jalapeno seeds.

Add variety of hot peppers to desired spice and flavor (fresno, serrano, etc)

ALL spice measurements are estimated. Taste and spice as desired.

For cheese lovers. If you want to add ½ cup shredded cheese to thicken, increase the chicken broth by 1 cup.

transformation

I wish I took enough pictures to make a flipbook. ...oh, and I wish I knew how to make an online flipbook.

I will settle for knowing that this project is done. Sense of accomplishment? Check!

2 gallons of primer. 1/3 gallon of flat white ceiling pant. 1 and 1/3 gallons of Benjamin Moore louisburg green (HC-113). about 12 hours of my time.

Update on my challenges...

1. Yoga Journal's 21 Day Yoga Challenge is lame. Or I think so anyway. Maybe for beginners it would be good? To be fair, I am not participating in the "social" tracking of the challenge, which might actually be interesting. I am already practicing pretty much everyday and don't really want to watch the 20 minute video they send everyday on top of that. Could I learn something? Sure. Could I learn the same thing at the studio with instructors I know? Absolutely.

2. 30 Days of Good: Financial Fitness. I'm not going to lie. It has been pretty easy so far, since 99% of the tasks I already do. Until today's task: create a budget. Isn't that why I hired a financial planner? Not exactly I guess, but pretty close. I am good about spending and saving on a daily basis (for the most part) and my financial planner looks at the "big" and long term stuff. I could give it a go, but I'm not sure I will.

I found my zen while running...

This morning was just begging for a run. Granted, it would have been warmer if I had waited, but the morning was gorgeous - if cold.

Big, bright sun. A few clouds glowing with pink and orange. Pale blue sky. The squeak-crunch sound of snow with every footfall. A snow covered lake.

It was awesome.

#ifinallyfoundausefortwitter

I joined Twitter about a month ago. Seriously. I just never saw the point. Then one of my employees joined in order to follow something work related. I work for a technology company that is big in social business. So I was inspired. Yes, inspired to join the Tweetwork [is that actually a word? the mash-up of Tweet and network? maybe I should try to play it in Words with Friends and find out].

Back to the story. I joined Twitter. And then pretty much nothing happened. I looked for semi-interesting people to follow, and found two - one of which is my sister. And I followed work related things. Still, I just didn't see the point.

So I drafted a blog post. That pretty much stated this: "I feel like I am missing the boat. Yet I'm not even sure I want to be on it. Possibly I should find a teenage girl and ask what the hullabaloo is about Twitter. Of course she would laugh because I used the word 'hullabaloo', then roll her eyes, and say something like 'it's how I talk to my friends' or 'make social commentary'". I let that draft stew for a while and didn't post it just yet.

Then this conversation actually happened:
J: K, are you on Twitter?
K: Yes, but I am pretty sure I am doing it wrong.
J: Oh please. You are so funny. It's social media.
K: No, I am serious. I guess I have no social commentary.
J: What's your handle?

It is possible that J went out to Twitter and found that I really was being serious.

But tonight I found it useful. Yes, useful. I think, because I'm not sure I actually did it right. Cougar Town is an awesome show and I want it to come back on and replace some of the mid-season garbage that is passing for airable tv. I read that Bill Lawrence, creator of Cougar Town, was hosting viewing parties to drum up support and social media support for the show. I tweeted that I want a party in Minneapolis! I do! I want to see some pennycan!

a fit of giggles

It is amazing how a fit of giggles can transform a mood, make you feel better, and give you perspective all at once. I experienced that yesterday with a friend. It reminded me of this goal: document life. So far, one of the best moments of 2012 was a fit of giggles.

do you quinoa?

I like food. And I like all kinds of food, from bacon to cookies to spinach to persimmons. I tend not to discriminate when it comes to tasty-licious food. [Note: of course cheese (and most dairy) as well as sauerkraut are exceptions here].

I tried quinoa a while ago. For the uninitiated, m-w.com defines it as

an annual herb (Chenopodium quinoa) of the goosefoot family that is native to the Andean highlands and is cultivated for its starchy seeds which are used as food and ground into flour

It is pretty tasty. My cousin made it with butter and fresh mushrooms from the farmer's market last summer. Until last week, I had only had it prepared for me. Last week I took the leap and cooked it for myself after stumbling upon a yummy recipe from 'Poor Girl Eats Well'.

The recipe -- Herbed Quinoa Risotta with Butternut Squash & Sweet Peas -- delivered. Me, being me, I used the recipe as a base rather than ACTUALLY following the recipe. I used vegetable broth, a sweet and bubbly wine, roasted sweet potatoes, plain old peas, and spinach. No cheese. It was still rich and delightful. Definitely a winter staple.

Now I feel adventurous and have a full belly. Mission Accomplished.

challenges

I make lists. I have goals. So in January I am trying to complete 2 challenges:

1.

The Yoga Journal 21 day Challenge. It is not well defined. And it started today. I was sent a video clip of a series of poses and a recipe, which contained cheese. So it hasn't started off well. I did practice this morning. And if nothing else, this challenge will make sure I do some sort of a practice every day for the next 21 days. I was pretty much doing that anyway. ...so hopefully Yoga Journal will have something cool to offer up soon.

2. 30 Days of Good: Financial Fitness. Good.is has a monthly (or really 30 days) challenge. January is all about financial fitness. Apparently I have fairly financial fit, since the first 9 days didn't present much of a challenge. There is one thing I want to research -- an account at Mint.com, which I have been reluctant to open for a while now. Today's tip, which I think is interesting, is scanning receipts. Great idea for those important receipts that get filed away to who know's where and can never be found when you need them.

full moon

I didn't get a shot of it last night or this morning. It was gorgeous though.

winter.

While we may not be through the coldest part of winter yet (or the snowiest), we are through the darkest. Happiness.

yoga goal #1

supported headstand

I have been working tripod headstand for several months now. Most days that posture is kind to me. Supported headstand has presented some challenges. Yet there are a handful of days when I can pop right up. Patience.

i have goals. no really, I do.

I'm not big on New Year's Resolutions. I do have goals. I write them down. Or at least I have done so for the past 4 years. It is not a long list -- and the goals are mainly at a macro level, as in "enjoy the moment". I don't reread often during the year, but the act of writing them down helps remind me what I want the year to look like. Of course, I have micro goals too. Let the sharing begin....

great quote to start 2012

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson