Five Things Friday: Star Wars

It's Friiiiiday! Not that it makes any difference to me since I work from home, and not all that much yet at that. But I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens last night and the hype is still strong with this one. Apologies for the terrible reference. I'm also on Day Four Without Coffee and it's a miracle I'm still alive. I kid, I kid. But it was a necessary move, because my anxiety was through the ROOF and I think my caffeine intake was not helping. (I'm not giving it up forever though, that's just not plausible.) I've felt like a new person these past few days, let me tell you that. Of course, that might be the Star Wars talking since I did watch all six movies on Wednesday and Thursday before going to the theater.

Always did love this guy. <3

One week till Christmas Day and I still don't have a tree. That's more because we added a second couch to the living room and now have no room for a tree but actually have seating space for people so I suppose that's okay. Right? I've never had a Christmas without a tree. Well we do have one; it's a Green Bay Packers tree that stays up all year but hey, we will make that one count because then I feel better.

Sigh, all that being said, it's time for me to share five links that I love and/or just discovered and that I think you'll enjoy too. This week's theme is Star Wars because obviously. Everyone's hashtagging #forcefriday everywhere so I'll join in the fun. (I already did on Instagram, so there's that.)

1. Star Wars original trilogy, as done by Bad Lip Reading. These are absolutely hilarious and you should go watch them right now. I cried, I was laughing so hard.

2. Her Universe. For all the nerdy ladies in your life, even if that's just you. I have a bunch of older stuff from Her Universe, mostly Doctor Who related, but if I had all the money I would get literally everything on the site. It's that cool.

3. If you haven't already done it, go to Google and type in "a long time ago in a galaxy far far away" for some legit awesomeness.

4. Epic Rap Battles of History: Deadpool vs. Boba Fett. Language warning, but it's hilarious and you should watch it, particularly if you're also a comics fan.

5. Feel like discussing the new movie over drinks with your fellow fans? Drink Lab has you covered with their crazy list of Star Wars themed cocktails. Someone try a Bantha Milk Cocktail and report back to me, mmkay?

There you have it. Got any other fun Star Wars finds to add to this list? Happy #forcefriday everyone!!

on focus and inspiration

You know those mornings where you eat sugar cookies for breakfast and don't change out of your pajamas before noon? It sounds nice, but to be honest I'm not all that happy with myself. More for the sugar cookies than the pajamas. Victoria's Secret nightshirts are super comfy and I would wear mine all day long.

Since this is a personal blog, it's time for a rather personal post. Not really a life update, but that'll maybe happen before the end of the year. I have posts queued up to share, just need to edit them and add photos.

Words are taking a long time coming these days. It's a struggle for me to even get one sentence out, let alone enough words for a decent post. I attempted to participate in NaNoWriMo for the first time ever and failed spectacularly. There will be seasons like this, I am told. But when December doesn't feel like December, my Christmas decor consists of a Target banner, and I can't even make it through a Charles Dickens novel in less than six months, I have to wonder. Inspiration sometimes comes the long way round, and I eagerly wait for it's return. Having purple hair for awhile felt like a pretty major inspiration, but I went back red because I missed it and purple isn't the most publicly accepted hair color, haha. Nor is it easy to take care of; take note of that, anyone who wishes to join the purple side.

These days my focus has been all over the place. Applying for jobs is exhausting, as many of you know well. It has never been a simple or easy process for me; generally it comes down to trusting in God and knowing He has the right option for me, even if I'm not seeing it. Being an independent distributor for Young Living has been a huge boost of confidence for me, both in using my oils and sharing them with others, even if things are slow going for the moment.

There are seasons. I know this, even if I don't always want to accept it. And the end of the year is always a time of reflection and usually some kind of sadness among all the holiday joy. But my joy is not my own...it comes from outside of me, from the One who was born to save us all. No matter what struggles each of us is going through, no matter how big or small they may be, no matter how little people may care, He is always there. That is the thought I leave you with on this rather warm and gloomy December Friday. I have plans for this blog, plans that will actually be set in motion rather than merely talked about like an elusive dream. It's been a rough year for my writing, but I do feel that inspiration is coming. It's not too far off.

of peppermint and lemon and lunar eclipses

Confession one: I have erased the beginnings of this blog post three times already.
Confession two: I legit started crying last night when I thought the cloud cover wasn't going to clear for the eclipse.
Confession three: On Packers game days, I have been known to turn superstitious and do everything I can to have lots of green and gold around. Therefore, today I have peppermint and lemon in my oil diffuser...not for any reason other than that the bottles are green and gold (well, yellow), respectively. It smells good too, obviously. Once the dishwasher finishes, I'll be showering and decking myself out in green and gold, probably right up to my makeup. #justhowiroll
Confession four: I've had very little sleep since Friday and, well, it's Monday.
So, time for a third cup of coffee and some deep breathing. Usually helps.

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So, the eclipse. I've seen multiple lunar eclipses over the course of my life. I've even seen a couple comets (one with the naked eye; anyone remember Hale-Bopp??), I've seen many meteor showers, I've seen the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter through the lens of my telescope, and I've even seen the aurora borealis from my front yard in Merna, Illinois. All of those things are amazing, and yet the one thing I always find the most fascinating is a total lunar eclipse. The moon doesn't give off light and yet it shines so brightly, and then you actually get to see the earth's shadow pass over it. Think about that for a second. Humor me. During a lunar eclipse we are literally seeing the shadow of this wondrous planet on which we live. The earth, moon, and sun are concrete things and they share a beautiful dance through the infinities of space that point to the design of our awesome Creator. He set those lights in the sky for us to see by, but also to point to His glory and sense of beauty and order. In an accidental universe, the chances of heavenly bodies lining up so perfectly to allow for eclipses are just astronomical. Pun intended.

When I look at the night sky, I am in awe of the One who created us, and I thank Him often for the universe He created for us to discover and love. There was a time in my life that I wanted to be a professional astronomer; my skills in math were lacking enough to discourage me from that, but space still enthralls me. Those of you who follow me on Instagram or Facebook will have seen the two photos I posted that I took with my iPhone through the lens of my telescope last night. Looking up at the night sky is worth it, folks. Always worth it. EDIT: And now this post has a few of the photos I took that night!

Saturday DIY: Small Batch Orange Soda

Today I mended clothes and made orange soda while I watched Firefly. To be perfectly honest, mending clothes is enjoyable, when it goes well. But the real accomplishment was making a tiny batch of orange soda. I discovered the recipe on Food 52, which is one of my two favorite cooking websites. (The other one is The Kitchn, if you were wondering.) The original recipe called for zest of one lime, and I didn't have any limes in the house, but I do have a bottle of Lime Essential Oil from Young Living, one of the few of their oils that is safe to ingest. Besides, I had oranges sitting on my counter, just itching to be made into something.

Once you've read the original recipe and read my version, you'll see there are a number of changes; I can't leave a recipe alone. That, and today I was working with what I had in the house... Therefore, I used the lime oil, a couple of lemons, and plain seltzer water. Quite frankly, it's fantastic.

Orange Soda (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 4 oranges
• 2 small lemons
• 1-2 drops Young Living lime essential oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• seltzer water

Zest the oranges and add the zest to a medium saucepan. Add the lime essential oil. Juice the oranges and lemons, making sure you have two cups of juice, then add the juice to the pan. Stir in the sugar.

 

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, let simmer on low heat for 8-10 minutes, or until mixture has reduced by 1/3. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes, and then pour the syrup through a fine mesh strainer into a glass jar. Discard the pulp and zest. Cap jar and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

 

To drink: mix one part syrup and two parts seltzer in a glass filled with ice. Stir it up and serve with an orange slice if desired. Enjoy!

 

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It may seem like this won't be sweet, but with the addition of the lemons in the syrup, you really don't need the lemon-lime flavored seltzer the original recipe calls for.

Pineapple Salsa (raw *and* vegan!)

Confession: I have a Pinterest board just for tacos. And taco related recipes. And probably taco related merchandise. My last Instagram was even a taco, as of this posting. I like tacos as much as I like bloody marys, which reminds me, anyone want to help me concoct a bloody mary with mini tacos and shredded queso as the garnish? I say it's possible. We could use the Sriracha flavored UV. Or I think there's a jalapeno flavored one out there somewhere. Besides, who doesn't put tomatoes on their tacos? Anyone? I don't know you. Ahem.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, here is a recipe that I tried a month ago and then proceeded to not share it. Oops. Still new at this blog-more-than-once-a-month thing. I'm getting there, I promise. Lots of goodies coming your way. But for now, pineapple salsaaaaaaa! It's not as weird as it sounds. In fact, it's oodles better than it sounds.

I discovered this recipe through Pinterest while searching for good vegan recipes for summer. Disclaimer: I am not a vegan and most likely never will be, but I love vegetables and fruit and it's often the vegan recipes that inspire me. So I was directed to a blog called The Glowing Fridge, which has many other amazing posts and you should check it out if that's your thing. And quite frankly, I never thought pineapple in salsa could be good. It's a fruit, for heaven's sake. Buuuut I had all the ingredients, I had just made tortilla chips, and I desperately wanted salsa. And it doesn't take more than 10 minutes to put together. Unless, of course, you're me, and you can't chop up pineapple to save your life. That was an adventure.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced small (about 1/2 one fruit)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced small (about 1 cup)
• 1/3 red onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
• juice from one lime
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (I may or may not have used closer to 1 full cup...)
• 1/4 piece of a jalapeno, finely diced
• sea salt, to taste

Instructions

     Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and enjoy! Leftovers can be refrigerated for a few days. Also, the original recipe says the jalapeno is optional, but it really won't be as tasty if you leave it out. Really.

I really wish the batch I made had lasted long enough for me to put on black bean and rice tacos because that would have been da bomb. Oh well, it's incentive to make it again before the summer is over!

Summer has arrived

Aloha, lovelies! It's been a busy, busy, busy few weeks for us around here, thus the lack of updates. Holidays, friends visiting from out-of-state, strawberry picking and jam making, going to Lake Michigan, getting my first tattoo, and enjoying some *actual* summer weather. How is everyone enjoying their summer?

I promise there will be more recipes and other fun stuff to come this summer, though the posts may be sparse as the day of my sister's wedding draws closer!

vegan pineapple salsa w/homemade chips

kombucha is the best

walking the dunes

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan again

FREEDOM!!

best pie recipe ever

Wisconsin tradition

loved picking strawberries

mmmmm jam

Finally got a tattoo!!

learned how to make sushi at home <3

boating on Lake Michigan

looking to shore

Zucchini Pie

If you purchase your milk in glass bottles, make sure you don't put it in front of the beer in the garage fridge to save room in the house. It just might get accidentally knocked onto the garage floor and break and go everywhere. And then you won't have any milk for the crustless zucchini pie you planned on baking the next day. Of course, this is where evaporated milk comes in handy.

Not that this happened to me, or anything.

At any rate, Google is my friend in situations like not having any milk. Pillsbury has a nice page on emergency baking substitutions on their website, I had a can of evaporated milk in the cupboard, and all was back on track in a jiffy. I can't say I am in desperation to use an ample supply of zucchini or anything, but I stumbled across this lovely sounding crustless recipe the other day while on Pinterest and decided it was a necessary recipe. Cheese, shallots, chives? I'm so in. I could have easily made a pie that didn't even have zucchini in it. But I digress.

Given that I was already making the milk substitution, I couldn't help but change up a few other things as well. Besides, there wasn't nearly enough cheese in the recipe. Or chives, for that matter. So here is my version.


Crustless Zucchini Pie


Ingredients:

• 10 oz shredded zucchini, all liquid squeezed out (about one medium zucchini; I used a cheesecloth to squeeze the liquid out) 
• 1/2 cup shallots, chopped 
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup fresh chives, chopped 
• 2/3 cup whole milk mozzarella 
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 2/3 cup whole milk 
• 1 tsp olive oil 
• 2 large eggs, beaten 
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt 
• black pepper to taste 
• cooking spray (I used coconut oil spray) 
• 2 heaping tbsp grated Parmesan cheese (or more, even; definitely more) 

Directions:


Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly spray a pie dish with cooking spray. Combine zucchini, shallots, chives, and mozzarella in a bowl. Sift flour and baking powder in a separate medium bowl; add remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix till well blended. Pour batter over the zucchini mixture, combine well, and pour into pie dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and bake for 30-35 minutes until knife/toothpick comes out clean in the center.











It's a seriously delicious pie and also ripe for added flavors. I'm already considering what other spices or herbs I can add when I make it again. Obviously. Because I can't leave a recipe alone. Also zucchini doesn't look like a word anymore.


Peace out,
Elisabeth

Welcome.

A clean slate is a beautiful thing. A rebirth, if you will. We all change as we grow, and yet there is so much of us that stays the same. In today's world, everyone expects you to have your own personal brand, or perhaps to fit into theirs. But guess what? We each are our own person, and we each have our own unique personality that makes us us. And what makes us us isn't something that can be fixed, cured, or medicated.

You being you is incurable. You may change within the framework of yourself, but you're still you. We are made unique; that's one of the reasons being human is such an adventure.

I struggled for the longest time to accept me for me. I would try to fit into a mold that I saw and liked; it never went well. It's too easy to jump from one mold/ideal to the next and pretty soon all you end up with is nothing and you're a shell of the person you once were. That sounds drastic, but it can happen all too easily. I didn't want that to happen to me; thank God I caught it in time.

Before you worry (especially any family members and friends reading this!), I'm totally good. I'm okay. I'm more than okay. But the time came for me to finally stand up and remember that I don't have to be anyone else, or be anyone else's absolute cookie cutter ideal.

I'm me, Elisabeth, incurably so. If you don't like it, that's too bad.
Welcome to my world.