Update from Marissa - Completed Sweater and Crazy Fun Evening!

I crocheted my first ever sweater! I'm proud of myself. I remember getting sweaters and blankets from my grandmother that she had knitted.  I never fully appreciated the time and effort that went into that until now.  I'm pleased with the result as a first time trial run, but I'm looking forward to improving on my next attempt. Special thanks to my model Alyssa!  

Now onto our crazy, fun evening we had tonight...

It all started with what seemed to be a typical picnic.  We were invited to tag along to a picnic for Democrats in NKY.  It was held at the Ludlow Knights of Columbus.  We had a great time.  Above are pictures of Max in his cool shades on the way there.  It was nice to have intelligent conversation with refreshing individuals.  There was all you could eat delicious food, and I even drank a beer! Haven't had one of those in a long while.  We went to the picnic to show our support for Jeremy's uncle Bill Adkins who is running for Judge in Kenton, Carroll and Grant counties (vote for him!) As I thought our evening was drawing to a close, we said goodbye's and headed for the car.  This is where Bill approached me about a plan to surprise his daughters.  I'm always happy to be in on a surprise!  Bill asked if I knew where Ft. Thomas is.  I sure do.  I grew up there from the time I was in Kindergarten.  Bill had caught wind of a music festival that was taking place there this evening, and wanted to check it out. I agreed not to say anything and just drive there.  This is where the fun really begins.  As soon as I "missed" the south exit ramp, I knew it was going to be an adventure.  For those of you that know me very well, you know that I am direction challenged.  I often miss turns, forget which street I'm on, and basically have no sense of where I came from or where I am going.  Jeremy is unfortunately burdened by the ten extra minutes on trips to turn around, constant reminders of what street a restaurant is on, and other wonderful features of having a girlfriend who has no geographical clue.  Getting back to the point... as soon as I missed the exit, Jeremy went "ape sh*t". "Go straight!" he yelled, as I veered right onto the north ramp.  "What are you doing?!!??" he continued as I drove on, laughing so hard that he thought I was crying, because of him yelling at me.  Bill, all the while in the passenger seat enjoying the show.  The girls were in the back making wise cracks about how that one beer must have gotten to me.  It was thoroughly enjoyable, especially when we finally got there, and Jeremy realized how mad he had gotten.  It was in the top ten of funniest moments for me.

We finally arrived to the music fest.  There were tons of people!  I ran into a lot of people that I knew from grade school and high school. The Kentucky Headhunters were playing, and they were fantastic!  The drummer was incredible.  He even ditched his sticks and played beats with his hands on his set.  The main act was John Michael Montgomery.  He sang 'I Swear' and finished with 'Grundy County Auction'.  Beside the music, I was able to catch up with a couple that I knew from school.  Tonight really helped me remember how quickly time flies by, and to make the best of every minute.  I talked their ear off, and bragged on my baby boy who was asleep in my arms (yes, through the music.) We exchanged numbers, and said we'd keep in touch.  It was refreshing to catch up with people I had known from 8 years ago.  

The music came to a close, and we started the trek home. The entire car ride home was filled with helium affected voices.  The girls had brought home with them bundles of balloons.  We sang along to the tunes, and listened to classic radio stories on XM. When we finally reached the house, we were all famished. Bean burritos were the cherry on the most fun I've had in months!  It was a blast.  I'll post more pictures of our adventure as they surface.

I am so grateful for this day.  At first Jeremy wasn't going to go, but I nagged him a little (ok, a lot) and he caved.  I think by the end he was glad that he came too.  We needed an adventure, some spontaneity that is almost impossible to accomplish when you have a child under the age of 1.  Thank you to Bill and the girls for helping us have such a great time!   

Habit of gratitude.

Today I am posting about a habit I have tried to form for the last few months. It's basic, easy, and maybe a little hokey but I assure that it is totally worth doing for the 5 minutes that it takes you.
In our everyday lives, we often get bogged down by the little stresses or problems throughout the day, and for a lot of us it carries over into our relations with our family, friends, and even strangers. We may not even realize that we're doing anything at all, but ask yourself how many times have you lived this day.

A stubbed toe in the morning led to a bad commute to work, which in turn led to a slow, problem-filled work day, which then boiled over into an argument with a co-worker or a family over nothing important.
This downward spiral is not uncommon, and believe me, I've lived through a lot of those days. However, through small changes in my thinking, and a habit of gratitude I have come to live more peacefully and grateful even in the face of countless mini-catastrophes. I'll try and share with you just a few ways I combat the negativity through the formation of habits.

Daily Affirmation- No I'm not talking the hokey look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself how great you are, but hey, if it works for you then by all means, do it to it. I approach it a bit different. Each morning I wake up and as I look in the mirror I do 3 things. Smile. Take a deep breathe. Give thanks for whatever I'm feeling especially grateful for at the moment. Most days it's simply being alive and able to experience the world. Doing those things shortly after I wake up make sure my day starts on a good note and I go into the rest of the morning with a positive attitude.

Be mindful of your feelings- This one is a little harder and takes some practice. In a nutshell this practice is simply understanding that the emotions you may feel aren't in control of how you act. That being said, it does get difficult when you're so upset that you are sure steam is coming out of your ears. Giving yourself a few seconds to stop, relax, and put your mind to another task. You can then give the situation time to cool off and revisit it with a cooler head. Realizing that you can be furious, sad, anxious, nervous, etc. but still act in a manor that is kind and calm can work wonders for your interpersonal communication.

Make a list- The last habit that I've focused on is simply writing down 3 things each day that I'm grateful for. This helps in those times when life can't get much worse. When you start thinking about the things around you that other people might not have, or have the means to get, your problems start getting smaller and less important. It's funny how quickly an argument with a co-worker seems so petty when you realize that there are people without clean drinking water, food, or homes. People who can't experience the world in the same way you can on account of disability. If you just jot down a few things that you are grateful for it can do wonders for how you perceive your life, and the problems you have.

I hope these little tips on staying upbeat help you out when you're having a rough day, and remember, thoughts become things, so be sure to keep a positive mind!

Fall Is Here!

Fall has arrived and with it comes some of my favorite foods, namely anything with pumpkin involved. In honor of the new season I'll post a new recipe I've been playing with since the garden produced some good sized pumpkins, bell peppers, and chili peppers.

Usually my Dad was the one that made the chili for our family, but since his passing in January I felt I should learn the magic that is a delicious chili while adding a bit of my own personality into it. 

I used ingredients pictured above as well as

-a larger can of black beans

-1 1/2 medium sized onions

-2 cans of diced tomatoes 

for seasoning the pumpkin I used

-evoo

-salt & pepper

-cinnamon

-brown sugar

-an organic pepper mix I get from a guy at the produce stand. Any pepper or spice mix would work.

I quartered the pumpkin, wiped it down with the olive oil, and seasoned until I felt that it looked delicious. (I usually just wing it with the seasoning by adding about a 3 finger pinch again and again until it tastes how I imagined.)

I put the pumpkin in the oven at 400 for an hour and fifteen minutes. 

While the pumpkin is in the oven doing its thing I gave the bell peppers and onions a large dice while finely chopping the other peppers. 

I coat the bottom of the chili pot with olive oil and start to cook down the onions, after they start sweating a bit add the bell peppers for a few minutes. I then dumped in the cans of tomatoes and the chopped peppers. Let that stew together for a good 45 minutes and add the beans. That can mesh together until the pumpkin is good to come out of the oven. 

All the veggies and beans hanging out

Pumpkin ready to come out and play

Remove the meaty part of the pumpkin from the "rind"? and cut into cubes to puree. Get out the blender and go to town. I only used half of the pumpkin that I baked with the other half to be consumed  in the same dish a few days later. After the pumpkin is all pureed up, just add it to the already delicious party on the stove and cook down for another 20-40 minutes depending on how hungry you are.The longer you let the flavors hang out together on low heat the better, but I am an instant gratification type person and can hardly ever wait. Anyway, without further ado

It was delicious, and I plan on making it again and again. Hopefully my chili gives you some ideas to use in the kitchen for your family.

Be adventurous and creative and make delicious food!

Good morning from Max!  He's always so talkative in the mornings and evenings.  I think he gets a little shy with more people around.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

I love this blogging thing!

I'm excited to start this co-authored blog.  I feel that Jeremy and I are close friends already, but embarking on this endeavor together will bring us even closer.  You'll notice the difference in our personalities immediately.  Jerm already has a list going, and I fear that putting items on a list for me almost dooms them to incompletion! I'll keep mine in my head, and keep all of you updated on the finished productivity.  I'm amazed at what great friends and family we have who show their unconditional support for us frequently.  I'm curious to see how far our reach in the world can go.  I'm so grateful for all of the people that exist in my life already, and if we are able to cheer up, help, encourage, and inspire just them I will be fulfilled. Speaking of rad people in our life... Sara is one.  She has given us delicious deserts, hard earned sweat in the gym, and lots of smiles.  I recently completed a project for Sara.  They are a pair of arm warmers meant to look like Link's Golden Gauntlets.

I hope that she likes them.  She and her man, Chris are fantastic people who I'm happy to know.  I am accustomed to completing experimental projects like this just for my own entertainment.  I really enjoyed creating something commissioned by someone else.  I love the challenge of it.  Often I will ask Jeremy out of the blue, "What should I make/draw?" There have been some pretty rad little creations that have come about as a result of his varying answers. 

I definitely feel that Jeremy is the yin to my yang.  He has pushed me to become a better person, to be more mindful, and he has affected me in ways emotionally that I'm sure he's not even aware of.  On top of all that, he's such a good cook!  For dinner he made us pumpkin and black bean chili with pumpkin and other vegetables fresh from the garden.  It was so yummy!! I will encourage him to post a recipe or two here in the near future.  It makes me feel better knowing that we are on the same page as far as health goes.  It makes it easy when we are deciding what foods Max should or shouldn't eat.  I'm grateful that we both happily put fresh fruits and vegetables on his tray.  

It's unreal how the time in the day flies by.  Between projects, cooking, home-schooling, general up keep, 24/7 Max care, and finding ways to maintain a safe and healthy lifestyle; it's no wonder that Jeremy and I have to make it a point to devote time to each other.  I might go on a fun, in-expensive, date night scavenger hunt, and update you on the results of creative ways we've found to still have a little "us" time.  I think that one thing we are good at is telling each other that we love the other.  I remember that we were watching Family Feud one night (a hilarious experience with Jeremy who enjoys telling the contestants how good or terrible their answers are out loud... but I digress), and on the show they surveyed people about how often they told their significant other that they loved them.  I think the top answers were 0 & 1 times per day.  Kinda sad if you think about it.  Tell people you love that you love them, show them, give them a hug.  It isn't going to cut in to your Facebook time, I promise!  

It's the weekend, and I'm hoping to get some more work done with items for the upcoming craft show.  This weekend I'm going to crochet some more arm warmers and hats.  I also would like to finish a baby changing cloth I'm halfway finished with.  All will be pictured on my Be. blog when completed. I'll leave you all with this...

Spend some time this weekend on home improvement; improve your attitude toward your family.

Bo Bennett 
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/weekend.html#90fMsXCeltY5uk1c.99 

October To-Do List

I feel like posting a list of goals and projects I want to get done this month both for the blog and for our lives. I am hoping that posting this stuff will act as a reminder to myself and make sure I'm held accountable and stick to my goals. Best case scenario, I get to cross most of, if not all, the items before October has ended.

Projects

Build inventory for November craft show
- wine rack with 2 bottle capacity (2)
- wine rack with 4 bottle capacity (1)
- spice rack (2)
- multipurpose kitchen shelf (1)
- serving tray (2)
- cheese board (2)

Plant some indoor veggies and herbs for the winter

Plan a healthy eating lesson plan for my science lessons with Emma and Klaire. Complete with field trip!

Make 5 new recipes I've never tried

Post on this blog every Monday Wednesday and Friday.

Plan out and make our Halloween costumes! Adventure Time themed?

Goals

Set aside time each morning to focus on my "spirituality". I use quotations since I'm of no particular faith, nor do I endorse any specific path. To each their own

Be mindful whenever possible. Live in the present

Stay as strict to a vegan diet as I possibly can

Focus more on my relationship with Marissa

Use less negative language and spread kindness

Seeing it all written out like this makes it look pretty daunting but I'm sure I'll manage. Hopefully my list can inspire you to make a list of your own. After all if we don't have something to work towards, life improvement can be a mashed up directionless journey. Good luck to you and the completion of your list!

Welcome

Welcome to our new "Life Improvement" blog. My girlfriend Marissa, and I are co-authoring this blog with the intent to help others put their lives on a more positive path. We hope that this blog can be a grow and learn with us type venture, as we constantly look for more ways to lead a positive life. Whether through food, crafts, exercise, parenting or general life experience posts we hope to spread at least a little bit of positivity to you, our readers.
The plan is to post a few times this weekend to give the blog a bit of content. I will be finishing up a goals/project list for October later today. Currently Marissa and I are getting ready to do our first craft show in November so most of the projects will be going to that.
Slowly but surely I intend on making the blog a little more visually appealing and easy to navigate, however I'm not the most technologically savvy person, so bear with me.
Anyway, it's a beautiful day and I must get my carpe diem on. I suggest you all do the same.