lime ice.

a good friend of mine lives on a beautiful citrus ranch in san diego and whenever i visit, she always presents me with a generous bag of fruit- everything from limes to grapefruit.

a sucker for citrus, i never say no- even when i have an overwhelming quantity. so the other week, she gifted me a huge bag of limes and while i happily accepted, i expressed my uncertainty with what to do with so many of these tart little gems.  after all, a girl can only make (and eat) so many key lime pies!

it was then that she shared this brilliant recommendation: make lime ice.

so simple.  so genius.  so right up my alley.

i got to work almost immediately.  we have a single-serving juicer (and while perfect for small, seedless batches- i'll definitely have to get something a bit more hefty for the oranges and grapefruits) and juiced every single lime she gave us.  in the end, i filled about 4 ice cube trays of ice (about 20 limes).

i let the trays freeze and emptied the frozen cubes into a ziplock bag.  now we have lime juice on hand for smoothies, soups, salsas and even gin & tonics.  plus, adding a lime ice cube into water makes for a really special treat.  enjoy!

my february goals.

this month it took me awhile to sit down, put a pen to paper & figure out what i'd like to focus on in february.  to be honest, i'm more focused on being productive, crossing things off my to-do list & really following through with my goals- but i'm always looking to create mini-goals for myself to keep me focused and uncomfortable (in a good way).  so, with only a week left in february, i wanted to take a minute to share what i've been focusing on for the past couple weeks.

what are you hoping to accomplish this month?

ps. i used the rhonna designs app to make this image.

currently.

we got cable!  it's been about 8 years since we were last connected to "the real world" so this is quite the novelty.  right now we're enjoying the olympics (so much), homeland & the walking dead.  i have to say, the olympics...man oh man...i'm such a sucker for almost every event, but hearing the athletes stories are the best.  i tear up every single time.

i'm swimming and biking quite a bit.  i haven't been able to get into running since the half marathon, so i'm giving myself time to get focus on some other activities.  the best part of living in san diego is that we can do this year round...and swimming outside in the middle of february?  i'll take it!

project life 2013 is finally complete.  i'm so happy to be done with that project.  while i loved it, it was a lot of work and i fell seriously behind.  when i was working on september in november there was a time i didn't think i'd finish.  but i kept my head down, wrapped up this massive project and love every single bit of it.  months ago i was assessing what i'd do this year and decided i'd keep it up but on a much smaller scale...like month to month.

i'm trying to get better at snail mail.  there's nothing better than a sweet note from friends to brighten the mailbox blues, so i'm doing my best to spread cheer far an wide.  i love how this blogger is scattering love.  totally inspired.

celebrating andrew in a big way.  for over a year he's been working diligently to get his instructor pilot license and just yesterday, he passed his check ride.  he's stoked.  i'm stoked.  this is very exciting news for us.

lastly, for the past 6 weeks, i've been taking a pottery class with my mom.  there's something so grounding about playing with clay.  the process is frustrating and rewarding and we're loving it.  if the next 6 weeks weren't already full, i'd be taking the class all over again.

weekly letters.

dear andrew, thanks for taking Radley out every morning before work.  he obviously loves this quality time with you.  dear perfect tea maker, you continue to be so good to me.  thanks for getting me over that 3pm hump.  dear chlorine, thanks for boosting my ego by making me feel like an olympic swimmer.  i love being on a run & only smell you.  dear sweet hubby, thanks for fighting so hard for our future.  i'm super excited to have you as my partner-in-crime.

what are you grateful for?

these letters are inspired by my forever-fave blog. 

recapping my january goals.

this january, i set out to accomplish a few minor goals, hopefully make a couple new habits and embrace creativity.  here's how it went:

make time for sunsets (or sunrises): seeing how i'm usually driving to work as the sun comes up and leaving well after it's down, this was much more difficult than i anticipated.  i did however witness some amazing sky magic on days i was lucky enough to get out early and on weekends when i took full advantage of this time of day.  to be honest, just being aware of this everyday beauty is something i really enjoyed throughout the month and something i'd love to continue throughout the year (please note, you've officially been warned of a possible over abundance of sky photos on my instagram account).

eat 10 days of whole food:  this my friends, was an epic fail.  mornings were my most successful "whole food" time of day but I still managed to drink way too much coffee and eat too many scones.  basically, i was eating out way too often and by the time we got home from work, mexican & chinese was suddenly way more appealing than homemade stir fry & dishes.  there will be a take two.

meditate regularly: i'm in the habit of meditating about 4 times a week.  and for now, that's better than nothing.  it's gradually becoming a habit and is definitely a tool i love having in my mindfulness toolbox.

start triathlon training: this month i dove (pun intended) back into swimming and started adding spin classes and weekend cycling into my routine.  it's been fun to mix things up & helped me remember why i love triathlons to begin with- the training never gets dull.

embrace creativity: this was hands down the most amazing goal of the month.  by setting this intention i found i was so much more creative on a daily basis.  i wasn't starved for ideas and really felt my creativity soar.  i only have 2 months left of my 2013 project life album, i'm learning to play guitar, started taking a pottery class with my mom, & i'm even having more fun getting dressed in the morning (hey, it's the little things!).  it's been amazing and while these creative outlets are overshadowing some everyday rituals, i find the spontaneity fulfilling.

so there you have it.  some goals were set and met with flying colors and others, well...not so much.  i realized when planning these monthly goals, i should try and link my goals with what i'm trying to embrace so everything works together instead of pulling in different directions.  it gives me something to think about but for now, when reflecting on all i've managed to complete in a month, i'm going to extend myself some grace & just be proud of all i have done and not dwell on the could-have-been.