17. do a polar bear plunge

it was wild, colorful & cold.  we were team fozen fanta and there were five of us.  We were the only team with enough guts to dress to the nines & had a huge crowd cheering us on as we raced into the water.  We raised over $1,000 for local charities.  

our purple fanta teammate came out to plunge even though she dislocated her knee the night before (a real trooper).  & i even took our team mascot in for the plunge- yep, the orange fanta went under water with me!  we plunged for less than 10 seconds but we dove in head first.  it took the rest of the night to warm up.  but we did it.  we plunged!

so there you have it.  i can officially cross off one of my to do: 2011.  i did a polar bear plunge!

enjoy your weekend.

here's a sneak preview of mine...

check back later to see what all the hype is about!

egg, basil & avocado sandwich.

after a long day of work, some days it's hard for me to find the motivation to make dinner.  especially for one.  i generally try to cook something, freeze half and eat the rest for the remainder of the week.  this way, come the final week of the month, i can live off the meals i have stashed in the freezer.

most nights, if i haven't thought ahead and planned what's for dinner, i spend at least 20 minutes opening all the cupboards and the fridge hoping someone answered my prayers and made me dinner while i was working.  it's hasn't happened yet- but, i'm optimistic.

so on those particularly difficult nights, i'm always so proud of myself when i come up with something both (semi) healthy and delicious.  this was one of those nights.

egg sandwich.
makes 1 sandwich

2 pieces of thick artisan bread, toasted
1 egg
cheese (optional)
spinach
5 basil leaves
1/2 fresh tomato
1/2 avocado
salt & pepper to taste

toast the bread.  if you decide to use cheese, put it on the toast while it's warm so it melts slightly.  cook the egg (i prefer mine over easy with a well done center).  place the cooked egg on top of the warm bread and add spinach, basil leaves, tomato & avocado.  season to taste.

serve.

easy-peasy and an oh-so-delicious dinner for one (or two!).

a wednesday love story.

there is something truly epic about love stories.  as a hopeless romantic, i'm always on a quest to find stories of love & happiness. i stumbled upon this video here. 

isn't it amazing?  never underestimate the power of a true love story.  & hopefully this will brighten your day. 

the perfect pillow.

i'm looking to add a bit of color to our home.  


in true military fashion, we opted to paint our home in neutral shades should the army move us within the first couple years we were here (we actually had our house on the market for about three months- luckily the army thought better of letting us go).  now in our fourth year in this home and no end in sight, i'm dreaming of color.  and lots of it.


and pillows are an easy way to bring in some color and change the look of a space without blowing the bank (well, in most cases).

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it would be fun to make these:

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this one is my favorite, but waaaaay out of our price range.  maybe one day.  ah, a girl can dream can't she?

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i've been loving anything and everything yellow.  mustard, not lemon.

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enjoy.