i finally have a plan!

{flickr}

okay i realize i may be a little late to posting my goals for the year, but here they are! i took some time this past weekend to narrow down my 9 general goals for this year. now within these general goals i'll need to set incremental goals to keep me on track, but i'm glad that i solidified a starting point.

my 2011 general goals

1. raise credit score by 200 points.
2. increase savings to $2,000.
3. gain 500 followers on my blog.
4. enroll in grad school in fall 2011.
5. incorporate worship into my daily life by reading the bible, journaling, and praying.
6. grow hair to apl length in 6 months ( june 2011)
7. earn $5,000 from jewelry line.
8. own my first home.
9. pay off all credit card debt.

goal setting is a pretty vital part of my life. i've never been one for setting resolutions for the new year, but i'm a hard core advocate for mapping out the areas in my life that could stand to be modified, excelled in or completely eradicated.

when setting goals you don't want to aim to high with unrealistic capabilities. setting yourself up for disappointment. but you also don't want to limit yourself and forfeit an opportunity to challenge yourself. you have to develop a happy medium somewhere in between.  need some help in mapping out your plans for the year? the following links provide some helpful, fun and innovative strategies for goal planning.

• michelle ward, the when i grow up coach, suggests writing a letter to your future self. read more here.
• lulumon has a great website dedicated to goal setting. check it out here!

every new year, i try to make it more spectacular, invigorating, adventurous, and victorious than the year before. and this year is no different. probably one of the most important points to remember when you give yourself a goal is that you may not always completely fulfill that goal. you may just partially complete it. but in my opinion, that's a thousand times better than doing nothing at all. as long as you are making steps towards achieving that goal, you've won half the battle. so what you only saved $1,500 instead of the $3,000 you set out to stack up. the fact you made a conscious effort to stash some extra funds away puts you a lot closer to that goal than if you hadn't set it. and even better, you have $1,500 more green than the year before.

sometimes goal setting/accomplishing can be difficult, but if you develop a plan, you make it easier to turn your dreams into the realities you hope for.

 happy goal setting!

in the kitchen

my sunday routine usually consists of going to church in the morning then going to the farmer's market after wards to get my produce for the week. i picked up some pink lady's, my favorite apples in the world; a bushel of top cut carrots, and green tomatoes!!!

the green tomatoes sparked my fancy and i decided to make fried green tomatoes. this was a first for me. i've had them once before in the past and decided to give it a try. i didn't get this recipe from anywhere in particular i just kind of winged it.

so here's what i used:

1-2 sliced green tomatoes
bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 milk
flour
salt
pepper...
seasonings of your choice ( i used paprika and adobo seasoning)
olive oil

set up three stations for the flour, milk/eggs and bread crumbs. add oil to a  medium size pan, enough to coat the pan. season the sliced tomatoes with your desired seasonings. after the tomatoes are seasoned dip them in flour. dredge the tomato in egg/milk mixture then dip it into the bread crumbs. continue this process until all the tomatoes are coated with flour, milk, and bread crumbs. next place the coated tomatoes in the pan and let them cook 2-3 minutes on both sides. take the tomatoes out and place them on a paper towel to soak up any access oil. and viola you have fried green tomatoes.

{notes}

• i made a grilled chicken sandwich with advocado and munster cheese to go along with my tomatoes...for a recipe on the chicken sandwitch comment below or send me an email.
• this recipe makes about 3-4 servings.
• you can add you own seasonings to cater the recipe to your tastes...however, the tomato already has a great bold flavor and you want to be sure you don't take too much away from that.

happy monday!

and never forget...

happy 2011!

sale!!!!!

i'm making way in the shop for a fresh new collection coming in january!!! today only, everything in my shop is 30% off!! use this shopping code SHOP1216 to get that discount. click here to get to my shop. happy shopping :-)

happy hump day!

journeying.

"The only journey is the one within."~ Rainer Maria Rilke

wow! let me first say that i can’t even believe that it’s been almost a month since my last post. so much has happened since my last blog…or let's say 24 days ago. well probably one of the most major “accomplishments/ events” in my life has been my 25th birthday!!!! that’s right I am now a whole quarter of century old. It’s still pretty crazy when I think of it now. i’m 25… but it’s great! although, by no means am I wear I want to be in life, I have made some pretty challenging, heartwarming/wrenching, amazingly beautiful accomplishments and decisions in my life that have rendered me to this wonderful place in life that I am now. but my journey continues.

i feel some major things happening during this 25th year of my life and i want to be sure that i document every waking moment. everything, from the time i wake up to my new crazy and fun challenge to make an attempt to expand my cooking expertise by trying a new recipe at least once a week. it’ll all be documented, here of course, and on my new photo history blog; which i’m so incredibly excited about!

a little less than a month before my birthday i decided i wanted keep a photo history of my 25th year. yes, document everything that happens throughout this year through photos. i began this blog on tumblr, but because tumblr has been acting a little crazy these days, shutting down for random reasons and what not, i’ve decided to move this blog to my flikr account. i know can count on yahoo not shutting down. so to see what i’ve been up to for the past couple of weeks head on over to my tumblr here. but to follow the rest of my journey from this day on, head on over to my flickr page.conveniently, you’ll also be able to see my updates on flikr photostream over there to the left.

Have a lovely day!!