So I haven't posted in a few months. Mostly because I have been busier than I anticipated! Busy with things that I love doing though, so I don't mind. Anyway, because I am too scattered to form real paragraphs today, I am going to organize my thoughts in list form.
Things I Love About Mobile:
(1) My coworkers.
(2) The colorful flowers everywhere.
(3) The exciting weather!
(4) The beach birds--so many species and varieties!
(5) The cultural contrast to everything I am used to.
My Favorite Websites (Right Now):
(1) Pinterest
(2) Etsy
(3) Wordpress
(4) NPR
(5) Netflix
My Favorite Things:
(1) Baking soda
(2) Soy milk
(3) Elmer's glue (for crafting!)
(4) Click-y pens
(5) Crasins
My Favorite TV Shows:
(1) 30 Rock
(2) How I Met Your Mother
(3) Psych
(4) Friends
(5) Frasier
Things I Am Excited About:
(1) Shopping at the flea market this weekend for vegetables and herbs
(2) Festival International in Lafayette next weekend with G
(3) Meeting Bon Bon, the ridiculous swamp kitten
(4) Picking up L, C, and C in Mobile to carpool to A&G's wedding together!!!
(5) M&M's wedding in July and seeing all sorts of wonderful people in MINNESOTA!
(6) Minnesota again in September for L&E's wedding!!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Soup Sunday
I really love soup. I love making it, eating it, talking about it. I love it. Aside from the fact that I really love hot meals with lots of vegetables that you can eat in a mug (yes, this is actually my favorite category of food), I also love soup because I tend to be sort of a mad scientist in the kitchen. It's true, I took a quiz online. My kitchen persona is mad scientist, which means that I eschew measuring cups and tend to add ingredients as the spirit moves me.
Additionally I really like making soup because it is:
(1) economical;
(2) so easy to make; and
(3) a good way to use up left-over vegetables.
A few weeks ago I decided to instate a new tradition in my humble little abode: Soup Sunday. Every Sunday I make a new batch of soup; I have also been trying to explore new recipes each week as well. This past week I tried making one of my favorites, vegetarian split-pea soup.
Working off a few different recipes, I combined the five elements that almost every batch of my soup contains: carrots, onions, celery, garlic, and vegetable broth. I added these to the crock-pot along with four cups of dried split green peas, lots of black pepper, and a generous dash of cajun seasoning. And then I let it crock-pot for 4 hours.
Split pea soup is one of those recipes where I sort of marvel at the transformation from ingredients to meal. Where once there was a pile of vegetables and peas appeared a week's worth of perfectly-seasoned puree bursting with vegetables and flavor. I will also add that, by my rough calculations, I made 12 servings for around $4 total. Not bad.
Other soups I am hoping to make soon include:
Additionally I really like making soup because it is:
(1) economical;
(2) so easy to make; and
(3) a good way to use up left-over vegetables.
A few weeks ago I decided to instate a new tradition in my humble little abode: Soup Sunday. Every Sunday I make a new batch of soup; I have also been trying to explore new recipes each week as well. This past week I tried making one of my favorites, vegetarian split-pea soup.
Working off a few different recipes, I combined the five elements that almost every batch of my soup contains: carrots, onions, celery, garlic, and vegetable broth. I added these to the crock-pot along with four cups of dried split green peas, lots of black pepper, and a generous dash of cajun seasoning. And then I let it crock-pot for 4 hours.
Split pea soup is one of those recipes where I sort of marvel at the transformation from ingredients to meal. Where once there was a pile of vegetables and peas appeared a week's worth of perfectly-seasoned puree bursting with vegetables and flavor. I will also add that, by my rough calculations, I made 12 servings for around $4 total. Not bad.
Other soups I am hoping to make soon include:
- Sweet potato soup
- Cream of asparagus
- Vegan cream of broccoli
- Cabbage soup, of some kind. I am really itching to start experimenting with cabbage.
Anyway, that's what I've been cooking up in my kitchen!
Also, here is the split pea recipe if you'd like it:
Peel and chop 8 smallish carrots, one medium onion, 4 ribs of celery, and several cloves of garlic. Throw them in the crock pot with 6 cups of vegetable broth. Add 4 cups green split peas. Add black pepper and Cajun seasoning to taste. Set on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. Stir occasionally, when you feel like it.
Enjoy!
Boo
Monday, January 23, 2012
Strategic Planning
Towards the end of the year, our last three work days consisted of a series of "strategic planning" meetings. Strategic planning was a new concept for me, so in a professional sense it was a very educational and enlightening experience. Essentially, an organization creates a comprehensive document which includes, the mission statement, the goals, the objectives, the priorities, and the operating and decision-making procedures of the organization. This type of plan helps an organization be more successful at what they do, focus on their top issue priorities, and stay centered around its mission.
Strategic planning has also prompted me to reflect upon my own life. For the past few weeks, I have been contemplating the concept of "New Year's Resolutions" and what their purpose. Taken at face value, a Resolution is a goal that a person sets for herself. At heart, it reflects a deeper goal of self-improvement, which is something I strive for in my own life. But it occurred to me that while "self-improvement" is indeed a noble goal, you need to be aware of what you are "improving" towards. In other words, if you hope to improve yourself, you need to set a standard to strive for.
The consensus I have found from my research, both about New Years Resolutions and about the life-stage that I am currently experiencing, is that these are the years where I will decide what kind of person I am going to be. This "decision" takes place whether it is a conscious effort or whether it is an unconscious accumulation of qualities, values, activities and attitudes. So far I have opted for an intentional pursuit of myself.
To that end, I have been compiling, in my mind, a few things that I want to incorporate into my life, as values, attitudes, and priorities. Here are just a few that have made the short-list so far.
(1) Actively prioritize my faith. This is an area of my life that I have been meaning to work on for years, and I have always let other things take priority. So my new goal is to set aside time each day to read the Bible, reflect on what I read, and actively seek God's presence and guidance in my life. This is obviously a work in progress, and I am off to an erratic start so far.
(2) Keep my word. This is something else I struggle with. I want my word to be good. I want to be on time to events and meetings. I want to get something done by the time I say I will. I want to build my credibility with friends, coworkers, colleagues, and myself. I am only as good as my word...
(3) Practice intentional hospitality. I have always felt a bit lacking in the area of hospitality, and honestly, I feel that it is because I am oblivious to the needs of the people I welcome into my home (whether it is my house, my dorm room, or my apartment). This means having my home be aesthetically welcoming, which includes being clean, having adequate seating/hang out space, and generally being a good space for spending quality time with quality people. For me, this also means being the person who offers a bed to a stray friend (or a visiting friend!); offering to help a friend in need, whether it's watching her children, making dinner, cleaning her house, whatever. I want to be there.This is both a short-term and long-term goal. Primarily long-term. Although most of these goals are long-term goals.
(4) Charitable giving. Tithe. I want to make this happen. I have also tried to find local organizations whose missions I really support. There are quite a few nonprofit organizations around the Mobile area that are doing incredible work, and I want to help further their work! More on this to come!
(5) Keep up with the news, nationally, locally, and within the community! I have been making an effort for the past few months to read a selection of articles from the New York Times and NPR (my two favorite sources presently) both related to my work, and on a variety of other subjects. I like to be aware of events happening domestically an abroad, within the environmental field and without. This has been very fulfilling for me in terms of feeling like a well-rounded person and in-tune with the world. This is also part of an effort to be a lifelong student.
I think that's enough for now. Thank you for reading. Please comment below (or elsewhere) about your thoughts about life goals and strategic planning. What kind of person do you want to be? How will you get there? What have you been meaning to do? Today is the day. Today! January 20. The time is now. Go!
Boo
Strategic planning has also prompted me to reflect upon my own life. For the past few weeks, I have been contemplating the concept of "New Year's Resolutions" and what their purpose. Taken at face value, a Resolution is a goal that a person sets for herself. At heart, it reflects a deeper goal of self-improvement, which is something I strive for in my own life. But it occurred to me that while "self-improvement" is indeed a noble goal, you need to be aware of what you are "improving" towards. In other words, if you hope to improve yourself, you need to set a standard to strive for.
The consensus I have found from my research, both about New Years Resolutions and about the life-stage that I am currently experiencing, is that these are the years where I will decide what kind of person I am going to be. This "decision" takes place whether it is a conscious effort or whether it is an unconscious accumulation of qualities, values, activities and attitudes. So far I have opted for an intentional pursuit of myself.
To that end, I have been compiling, in my mind, a few things that I want to incorporate into my life, as values, attitudes, and priorities. Here are just a few that have made the short-list so far.
(1) Actively prioritize my faith. This is an area of my life that I have been meaning to work on for years, and I have always let other things take priority. So my new goal is to set aside time each day to read the Bible, reflect on what I read, and actively seek God's presence and guidance in my life. This is obviously a work in progress, and I am off to an erratic start so far.
(2) Keep my word. This is something else I struggle with. I want my word to be good. I want to be on time to events and meetings. I want to get something done by the time I say I will. I want to build my credibility with friends, coworkers, colleagues, and myself. I am only as good as my word...
(3) Practice intentional hospitality. I have always felt a bit lacking in the area of hospitality, and honestly, I feel that it is because I am oblivious to the needs of the people I welcome into my home (whether it is my house, my dorm room, or my apartment). This means having my home be aesthetically welcoming, which includes being clean, having adequate seating/hang out space, and generally being a good space for spending quality time with quality people. For me, this also means being the person who offers a bed to a stray friend (or a visiting friend!); offering to help a friend in need, whether it's watching her children, making dinner, cleaning her house, whatever. I want to be there.This is both a short-term and long-term goal. Primarily long-term. Although most of these goals are long-term goals.
(4) Charitable giving. Tithe. I want to make this happen. I have also tried to find local organizations whose missions I really support. There are quite a few nonprofit organizations around the Mobile area that are doing incredible work, and I want to help further their work! More on this to come!
(5) Keep up with the news, nationally, locally, and within the community! I have been making an effort for the past few months to read a selection of articles from the New York Times and NPR (my two favorite sources presently) both related to my work, and on a variety of other subjects. I like to be aware of events happening domestically an abroad, within the environmental field and without. This has been very fulfilling for me in terms of feeling like a well-rounded person and in-tune with the world. This is also part of an effort to be a lifelong student.
I think that's enough for now. Thank you for reading. Please comment below (or elsewhere) about your thoughts about life goals and strategic planning. What kind of person do you want to be? How will you get there? What have you been meaning to do? Today is the day. Today! January 20. The time is now. Go!
Boo
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