Over the past couple of weeks, I've developed myself in a lot of different ways. There have been new yoga poses and classes. There have been relationships that reached different levels. There has been a lot of professional growth and stretching. Its the ebb and flow of life, right? At any given point in a day, in a year, in a life, we can be found in different spots. Just like the tide.

I feel like the tide is coming in right now. I feel like my life is filling up with all of these things and I'm trying to make sure nothing gets washed away in the process.

Tonight, I was given the opportunity to put away the professional and stretch my personal life - stretch my culinary life. Tonight, I baked. Well, yeah, I do that all the time, but this time it was bread! Brioche, Wheat Sourdough, Rosemary Focaccia, Scones, French Demi Baguettes.  What the what? It was a class at Charleston Cooks that stretched my knowledge and skills in the kitchen. It was such a nice departure. I would go there every week if I thought I could fit it into my budget!

I highly recommend a visit to the store and a participation/demonstration class if you have the time while in Charleston.

Until next time! May you have sweet sweet dreams of carb overload while my body recovers from my bread binge!

This is Day 20 of 100 Days of Blogging.

I don't particularly feel like blogging today, so if you feel like you're not getting my best, then it's because you're not. I just spent the last hour reading about professional development, so I'm pretty tired of the whole reading and writing thing.

But if you make a commitment (no matter how large or small) to do something, then you have to follow through. So here I am.

Speaking of following through/determination/stubborness:

My orchid is still alive! Perhaps my thumb will turn green-ish after all!

Ok. That's all I've got tonight.

This is Day 19 of 100 Days of Blogging.

Today //

Today was a Sunday off. They're my favorite.

Today, my favorite Folly Beach coffee shop went full service. (Eek!) It's still my favorite.

Today, I did power yoga with three lovely and powerful women I know.

Today, I spent hours looking at wedding dresses for a dear friend who has found the deepest kind of happiness in her life. She looked so beautiful!

Today, I spent time looking at my wedding Pinterest board. (Every little girl has one.)

Today, I drank my second kombucha. Habit forming.

Today, I read difficult, but (soul) detoxifying words. (See photo.)

Today, I chose positive, confident, contented, and complimentary instead.

Today, I filled my online shopping cart with three new pairs of Toms. These. These. And these.

Today, I filled my belly with delicious Vietnamese food while catching up with friends.

Today, I read a post about The Value of Blogging. Such perspective.

Today was a Sunday off. They're my favorite.

This is Day 18 of 100 Days of Blogging.

I am trying to wait for my nails to dry and blog and bake (the perfect) tofu and watch Kourtney & Kim Take Miami. I started freezing the coconut milk for my Toasted Coconut Mocha Frappuccino but I haven't gotten around to making them. Maybe tomorrow? (Seriously, Starbucks, just go ahead and bring coconut back into the stores.)

I started the Soul Detox devotional. It's been reminding to cast off words of negativity - the things that try to steal truth and bring me down. It's so easy to succumb to such things. I'm glad I have a reminder.

But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. (Romans 8:25-26)

Have you all seen or read The Chalkboard? So many stories about health and beauty and style. And each month they have a guest editor. If you haven't checked it out yet, well, get going!

Also - anyone who lives in/loves Charleston needs to get into Charlie Mag. I get weekly updates from them about what (and who) is happening in this beautiful city. I've only been able to pick up a hard copy once, but I guess that means I'm just doing my part for the environment!

Now I need to figure out how to prep salads with not entirely dry nails. Hmm. Wish me luck!

This is Day 17 of 100 Days of Blogging.

As promised - a recipe for homemade protein bars! I made these tasty little treats yesterday and they seemed to be a hit today, so I feel like it's safe for me to share the recipe now. I'm not sure mine turned out quite a delicious as my friends did last week. She used dark brown sugar and I used light. Lesson learned.

Homemade Protein Bars

makes about 20 bars

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup dark brown sugar 

1/4 cup light agave syrup

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

2 egg whites

1 1/4 cup wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup dark chocolate chips

2 scoops chocolate protein powder

8 tbsp ground flax

1/2 cup chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Spread and press mixture (evenly) onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Allow pan to cool before cutting. Each bar has 10-12 grams of protein.

Enjoy! And pack extras if you take them anywhere outside of your kitchen. Your friends are going to want their own. Maybe two!

PS. Tomorrow I am going to tackle a homemade Toasted Coconut Mocha Frappuccino. It's all I wanted today and Starbucks probably won't have it until May. Wompity womp womp womp. 

AND THIS WEEKEND IS DAYLIGHT SAVINGS!! I'M SO EXCITED. 

xo.

This is Day 16 of 100 Days of Blogging.

Yesterday was HARD. By the end of the day, all I could do was lie my little head down and close my eyes. That's why all you got was a photo. A photo, however, that is a sentiment to what I'm going to be doing. I'm gonna make it happen - whatever it ends up being.

Today was not so hard. Today was spent answering to no one for anything at any time. There was baking, cleaning, cooking, walking and watching - GAME OF THRONES! Ah. I'm so sucked into it. I watched two... three episodes already and I've promised myself another after dinner.

This is exactly the sort of day I needed.

As it turns out, life is full of pressure. Oddly enough, most of the pressure just comes from ourselves. Why do we do that?!

I've learned a lot about myself over the past 48 hours, too. It's all good. But I'm not perfect. And, in the end, it's not even all about me. I am not serving myself. I am not even serving this world. I must remember to filter my actions and "In a humble (gentle, modest) spirit, receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls." (James 1:21bAMP)

Have you ever thought of a Soul Detox? I hadn't until I saw that link via Jenna at Eat Live Run.

I think my life is about to be very busy. I know that's vague, but I have that feeling that you get at the top of the rollercoaster right before it drops - a great big mix of excitement and fear and nonstop-ness. (That's not a word, but I'm using it anyway.)

This is Day 15 of 100 Days of Blogging.

This is Day 14 of 100 Days of Blogging.

via Pinterest 

The other day I bought a little container of Irish Cream creamer at the grocery store. I was really excited about it because I had forgotten how delicious Irish Cream is until I was at Wawa on vacation. (Hi, have you ever seen a Wawa coffee station? Magic.) So I woke up this morning expecting to pour a little bit of vacation into my mug and I couldn't find the creamer. I pulled everything out of the fridge to look for it. No where. I look up and there it is. Warm. On top of the fridge. I KNOW creamer isn't as sensitive as REAL dairy, but let's be honest - it wasn't going anywhere near my coffee. So what did I do? I pouted. And I pouted hard.

First world problems. No Irish Cream creamer for my Keurig brewed coffee.

I have a home - a lovely, strong and warm shelter. I have a kitchen full of food - including a fridge with vanilla creamer. (SHUT UP! I know.) I have clothes to guard me from the cold. I have a yoga pass to keep my body in check. I have wonderful, beautiful people who care about me in ways I've never even imagined before. People who make me feel safe and cared for and cherished.

But I pouted hard. And drank my coffee black.

How do we change our mindset? If I hold it in enough, will my view change? Do I acknowledge it and let it go? How do I embrace both the upset and the bounty?

This is Day 13 of 100 Days of Blogging.

I've been trying to be good about eating at home/eating what I have/not wasting food/having fresh & healthy foods. All of these combined make it so I have to frequently visit the grocery store frequently, plan my meals accordingly, and eat lots of weird odds & ends of fruits and vegetables at weird times so they don't waste.

Fruit is easy. I just throw that junk in a smoothie. Vegetables on the other hand.... Sometimes I add them to sauces or throw them on as toppings to soups or potatoes. Today, I realized I had a LOT of odds and ends. And some Italian dressing. And some lemon vinaigrette. And a box of whole wheat rotini. And a yearning for summer time and the food that accompanies it. Sounds like pasta salad to me.

I boiled up my pasta, threw in half a bag of frozen peas, a quarter bag of frozen corn, some cherry and roma tomatoes chopped up, purple onion, broccoli, sweet peppers, garlic salt and pepper, the two dressings, leftover three cheese Italian blend from Trader Joe's. Bam! Done. Meal is complete and the odds & ends have been rescued.

Now, it's getting nice and cold in the fridge.

The best part? It's pretty. I feel accomplished when I look at my meal and think it's got good color.

This is all just practice for my forthcoming CSA. You've got to be fluid and flexible when your food is coming from a farm and you have no idea what it is on a weekly basis.

Also, my friend made the MOST delicious homemade protein bars the other day. She gave me two and I wanted to gobble them both up at once but decided against it. I shared the second one, but plan on making my own soon. I'll report back.

Now I'm off to watch The Dark Knight Rises for the very first time. (I know. I know.)

xo.

This is Day 12 of 100 Days of Blogging.

You know your go-to recipe? The one you always have ingredients on hand for? It's the recipe you can whip up on a moment's notice to feed some unexpected guests or take to party to wow your friends.

My go-to recipe I stole. This is a recipe I got from my very best friend. He made it for me a few times and it's so simple that I made it for him one night as a surprise and BAM! now I make it all the time. So delish - I never get tired of it. 

unofficially called ooey gooey layered bean dip goodness

In a deep baking dish (preferably with a lid) layer (this is the order I put them into the dish, but I think it's really neither here nor there) the following ingredients:

• package of cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
• can of well-rinsed low sodium black beans
• jasmine rice (I cook a 1/2 cup ahead of time)
• can of well-rinsed Rotel (tomatoes and diced chilis)
• 1/2 -1 cup of frozen corn
• can of vegetarian refried beans
• layer of pickled jalapeños 

Then sprinkle the top with your choice of cheese. We recommend mexican, pepper jack or cheddar. Cover your dish and place in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes - long enough for it to get ooey gooey with bubbly cheese on top. 

I eat mine in a bowl with sour cream or avocado (if they're ripe) and salsa. You can eat it with chips or dig in with a fork. And, it's best accompanied by a Corona & lime. 

Don't know what to do when enjoying such goodness?

I've been watching Game of Thrones (Season 3 starts at the end of this month). Or blog reading - today The Wunder Year that I first read about on Lululemon's blog. The idea of wear yoga pants every day for a year sounds both amazingly comfortable and terrifying (um, spandex in public??). 

Enjoy!

This is Day 11 of 100 Days of Blogging.

It appears as though the sun has retired for the day, so I won't be going back outside. It's chilly here. Also, it's pollen season aka Erin has to take Sudafed everyday season. C'est la vie.

I just read a recipe for Toasted Coconut Mocha Frappuccinos. Gimme.

It's the Food + Wine Festival this weekend. It makes me want things with truffle oil.

Speaking of delicious things. Today my foodie friends and I had a new specialty donut from our downtown donut shop, Glazed. It was Pear Blue Cheese Cabernet. Ohmygoodnessgracious. It's their finest work yet. Although, I am still trying to get my hands on the Strawberry Champagne selection. Mmmm. (Photo Credit: Gabe!)

ANYWAY.

This morning I got up and made French Toast, (vegetarian) bacon, and coffee for breakfast. I've been to yoga, downtown, and two grocery stores today. I cleaned my ktichen and bathroom and have started on dinner. I swept my porch and watered my plants. Now, I need to hop in the shower and clean up my room - change sheets, dust, the usual. 

Then relax. Read a book/some blogs. Watch a Game of Thrones. And go to bed early so I can get up early to have Sunday Brunch before work. 

That's my weekend plan. How about you all? What have you been up to?

And hey - does anyone else visit multiple grocery stores in one day? Today it was Trader Joe's and Publix. Sometimes I throw in Harris Teeter and Whole Foods. But its rarely just one. Maybe I'm a nut.

I find my days off go to quickly and are often filled with things to get done rather than any sort of relaxing. I think that's how it is for everyone though. I think remembering to be thankful for the simple things is what will get us through. 

PS. In the middle of this blog I got distracted by the newest episode of New Girl on Hulu. I guess that's the sort of thing that can happen on days off!

This is Day 10 of 100 Days of Blogging. 

Tgif.

After two busy work days, I'm glad it's Friday. And I'm happy to have Saturday off.

Work. Yoga. Happy hour with tacos & beer. What more could a girl want?

I went to a new restaurant tonight. Mex 1 Coastal Cantina in West Ashley. That place was hoppin! Our waitress was great. The chips and salsa were great. The happy hour specials were pleasing. It was a great experience, but I would certainly suggest getting there early for a table - even to grab a seat at the bar!

Now I'm home with wine and Gilmore Girls. I ask again - what more could a girl want?

Probably scones. I think I'll bake them tomorrow. Coconut scones.... Yesss.

I'm excited about sleeping in, drinking coffee, doing yoga, grocery shopping and watching Game of Thrones. I suppose I'll clean my bathroom, too. Meh. You have to do something responsible on your days off.

What do you all do on your days off?

PS. I highly recommend integrating yoga into your life if it's not already there. You can start here. It's a great thing to do on a day off!

This is Day 9 of 100 Days of Blogging.

It was one of those days.

The days where you cancel your things for the evening and sit at home drinking tea instead.

So what if I'm a 75 year old trapped in a 27 year old body?

Except I ate half a container of Pringles for dinner. That's a 27 year old thing to do.

Oy.

This is Day 8 of 100 Days of Blogging.

Today, I went to work and left with the full intention of buying a new television when I left. (Decidedly, Game of Thrones would be much better viewed on a 39" Magnavox than on my 13" Macbook Air.) However, Target had other plans for me. SOLD OUT. Womp. I wandered around purchasing necessities like bobby pins and toothpaste while throwing in some impulse purchases like easter candy and a lavender candle. (I don't live near Target anymore, so this doesn't happen often. Promise.)

I was feeling a little dejected on my way back to James Island. I even looked at a few TVs online when I got home. (While eating the somewhat average frozen yogurt my freezer "helped" me produce last night. Try try again.) Since, I knew I was going to have to consult my consultants before choosing a new TV, I walked away and decided to give my evening a boost. Here we go. Pictures included.

I practiced my yoga headstand! It was a success. My skills with TimerCam were a smidge less successful, so this is as good as the documentation gets. Also, here are 10 Reasons to Do a Headstand Everyday.

I was hungry after all the shopping and head standing, so I made myself some baked onion rings and roasted asparagus for dinner. Lightly sprayed with coconut oil and sprinkled with crunchy sea salt and garlic pepper. I outdid myself.

And since no American meal is complete without dessert, I got started on these Cadbury Mini Egg Blondies. I didn't actually eat one yet, but I know it's going to be more amazing and fattening than I can even imagine. Easter candy baked goods. Nom. Maybe that's why it's my second favorite holiday.

And, finally, I did a little Pinterest work. I placed a magnet strip along the shelf in my bathroom, covered it in washi tape and made it the new home for my bobby pins. Hopefully now I will always have one when I need it!

My dejected late afternoon has turned into something productive and delicious and it's finally time for Game of Thrones.

And I don't even mind that it's on my Macbook Air.

This is Day 7 of 100 Days of Blogging.

xo.

The rain finally let up today and I could see the sun come shining through the clouds.

Isn't that how life can be?

I wouldn't call today the best day. There was a lot of rain. There were also a lot of hiccups at work. Nothing too overwhelming, but I got to come home to a lovely dinner and my first foray into ice cream making on my own. Enter Coconut Vanilla Frozen Yogurt. Unfortunately, it's still freezing. Yogurt is a breakfast food, right? I'll put raspberries on top. Those are healthy for sure.

Today, I also learned what HBO stands for - Home Box Office. Who knew? Everyone, but me. That's ok. I've been keeping up with it's show GIRLS. Lena Dunham is quite the talented lady - writer, director, actress. She's also the cover of Rolling Stone. (Finally! I've been getting a free subscription for a year and this is the only issue I've been interested in reading.) And, speaking of HBO, I watched my first episode of Game of Thrones tonight. I can tell it's going to be something I continue to watch despite the foul ending of this particular episode. 

You know what I love? Fresh flowers. I was just thinking about them earlier. I'm happy I have my little orchid in the window. 

You know what else I love? The kitten that lives on our carport. Her name is Snickers and she's so adorable that I often want to scoop her up and bring her inside to cuddle with me. That's sort of like saying I often want to stop breathing from a sudden allergy attack. Such is life.

Sometimes I wonder if we're looking at life wrong. (Certainly we are as a majority.) So much focus on work and money, but are these things that truly make us happy? Are we happy because money brings us a certain level of comfort? I wonder if we could get away with less of the work and the money and still have the same amount of happiness. That idea could lead to quite the paradigm shift.

That's a good word. Paradigm. You know what is another good word? Synergy. I think the first time I read these words was in the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. (I was a very motivated, self helped youngster.)

Funny how I ended up here - in this blog post (in the smallest sense of the thought).

I think that means I've come full circle for now.

This is Day 6 of 100 Days of Blogging.

Dear Rain,

That's enough.

Love,

Erin


This Day 5 of 100 Days of Blogging.

Today has been lovely so far.

This morning we went to Black Magic for Break Fast Breakfast! I had egg whites with tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and feta. AND a pumpkin chai made with almond milk. It was so delicious. Of course, it was followed by a walk down the pier to talk to strangers and watch the waves.

After, there was garden supply shopping. Cilantro. Lavender. A mini orchid. And so many seeds! I am going to make my thumbs green if it's the last thing I do!

Then I went grocery shopping! It's been awhile and I spent a lot of money! I bought practically everything in the produce section. And treats for the cat (Snickers) who lives outside - I got her to eat one straight out of my hand! When I finally got done putting away all of my purchases, I made a DELICIOUS smoothie - strawberries, blueberries, peaches, bananas, cranberry juice, spinach and vanilla yogurt. And while I was sippin on that, I whipped up a batch of Whiskey Walnut Blondies for the brother.

And this where you find me now. In between dirty dishes and episodes of Gilmore Girls. Before yoga class and before my work meeting this evening.

I'm not sad my juice cleanse is over, but I'm glad I did it. I feel lighter and like it was a good restart. My body is still trying to figure out everything I put into it today, so I'm being careful, but I'm ready to start cooking! (Who thought three days would feel this long??) I'm going to make all sorts of nonsense this week - sweet potatoes, burrito bowls, avocado & corn salad, brussels sprouts, and there is going to be RAINBOW carrots with hummus. Ooooh - maybe this Farmer's Market Skillet! I'm so thrilled about food!

Well, that's all I have for now. I'm going to make my way back to the kitchen to clean up! And then outside to sweep my porch. Such a domestic goddess today... What are you all up to this weekend??

This is Day 4 of 100 Days of Blogging.

xo.

Last night, I saw Silver Linings Playbook and I LOVED it. Please do yourself a favor if you haven't seen it yet.

Today is my final day of juice cleansing. I hate it less today. I also ate a handful of almonds. I don't feel bad about it. I'm so ready to be eating again though. I think that I'll definitely be thinking more about what I put into my body after this. I don't believe in forbidding food groups, but everything in moderation.

I have today off from work. It's been raining all.day.long. James Island turns into a lake when it rains this much. So, how does one spend a rainy day off? I went to yoga, cleaned, read a few pages in my new book (The Fault in our Stars), visited with the brother, and watched reruns of Kourtney & Kim take Miami. Don't judge me. I got a lot done today - I deserve trashy tv shows. And tonight, I'm going to bake with a friend. No, I won't eat the cookies, but I will tomorrow. Hooray!

My life is good. My life is calm. And I like it this way.

(This just in - Kim is drinking Pressed Juicery juice on the show. I'm just saying.)

Also, I had a dream last night that I went back to San Diego. I was visiting my lovely Megan, drinking coffee in the sun, eating fish tacos and tanning on the West Coast beaches. I need to go back.

I also need coffee, sun, fish tacos and the beach. I NEED SUMMER! Haha. I'm a desperate woman.

Oh hey, I'm going to learn run again. Glo Run in May! Yay!

This is Day 3 of 100 Days of Blogging.

xo.

I hate juice cleansing. I miss chewing and things that have salt. I don't remember hating this last time I did it, but I've been informed that I did. Note to self: Don't do this again.

Yesterday my juice didn't come until 1pm because the company accidentally used the wrong address. I tried to patiently sip on hot water with lemon until I ran out to greet the FedEx man. Literally, I was waiting on the porch for him.

I immediately ripped open the box and started guzzling a bottle labeled "1".

Juice 1 is a Green Drink consisting of kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, cucumber, celery, apple and lemon. I was satisfied.

I got all of my bottles put away in the fridge and went about my day and the rest of my juices.

Juice 2 is a Citrus Drink consisting of grapefruit and mint. That's all. I love it. Tart, but refreshing!

Juice 3 is a Roots Drink. I feel like that says enough, but I'll tell you the junk is made of carrots, apple and ginger. I abhor ginger and this drink.

Juice 4 is another Citrus Drink. It's a blend of pineapple, apple, lemon and mint. It's good, but very sweet. Yesterday I drank it straight up, but today I mixed it with water to cut it a little bit.

Juice 5 is a repeat of Juice 1. Liquid salad. Thinking of it that way makes it difficult to stomach. I'll try not to do that tomorrow.

Juice 6 is the savior! Ah! Vanilla Almond Milk. This delight is made of almonds, dates, vanilla bean and filtered water. I add about 1/8 tsp of cinnamon to it and shake it all up. This is my favorite. I wish I had tried the chocolate one now because it's sort of like a healthy and delicious melted milkshake.

Mmmm. Milkshake.

Anyway, in addition to these 6 juices, I have Chlorophyll Water and Aloe Water. Chlorophyll water is to keep you extra hydrated. (Because six bottles of liquid is not enough.) Also, it tastes faintly of grass. The Aloe Water is to, um, keep you moving. It tastes like cucumber water.

Yesterday, I gave away Juice 5 since I had begun so late in the day. Today, I'm drinking Juice 6 before Juice 5 because I'm dying for some substantial.

So, what is the lesson I've learned from all this? When you go on a cruise, don't have hourly ice cream and don't visit the pizza bar.

That's certainly not to say I only did this cleanse because I felt bad after a week of vacation eating habits. Cleanses are an excellent way to reset your body and mind. Also, I've spent a lot of time trying to decide if I should go back to my vegetarian ways. I've done a lot of learning about vegan cooking. I'm reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and articles like Carnivorous Vegetarian to try and figure out the healthiest and tastiest way to eat. I want both.

Although, right now, I would settle for anything that involved chewing.

But if you all have thoughts on the matter, then I would love to hear them. Right now, I'm going to take a little nap and then go see Silver Linings Playbook with one of my loveliest friends.

This is Day 2 of my 100 Days of Blogging.

xo.

It's that time of year again. Spring is coming! It's time to get out of the winter funk and into the summer fun. I'm a little more on board with the idea because I just came back from Florida & a cruise, but I promise - it's coming. (The groundhog didn't see his shadow, so it must be true!)

It's also that time of year where I do a crazy things like only drink juice for 3 days. Eh? Right. So, my Pressed Juicery 3 Day Cleanse should be arriving shortly. 3 Days. 18 Bottles of Juice. Lots of yoga. This should all amount to a healthier and happier, post-cruise Erin. (Because you can't really say no to 24 hour pizza and ice cream.)

Internal spring cleaning leads to external spring cleaning. And all sorts of cleaning usually leads to new ideas, crafts and resolutions. Maybe spring is the new New Year? Probably not, but I will tell you spring is my best time of year. I'm excited to see what it holds. The people in my life are very motivating, too. I'm sure they're going to make 2013 the best spring/year yet!

Speaking of motivating ideas, my friend Mandy is doing 100 Days of Blogging as a challenge for her creative juices. I've decided I would also like to take part in a challenge such as this. Why? My blog is something so dear to me that I've let fall by the wayside. I'm hoping this challenge will jumpstart me back into it. It doesn't have to be big or incredibly insightful. I just have to post. Consider this Day 1. 

Well, now I have to start cleaning. I have quite the to-do list today:

Yoga. Pick up Recycling Bin. Go to Goodwill. Go to Costco. Get a mani/pedi. Clean out my car. Clean the house. Start reading The Fault in Our Stars. More Yoga.

Busy busy little bee. I'll see you all here tomorrow!