New Site!!

I've been working on a new site for about a month now, and I can finally say that I'm happy with how it's looking. Anyway continue to keep up with me and my creative journey over here at www.tynisenicole.com. I've been positng away a for a couple weeks now, so head on over and I hope you enjoy!

what i'm reading.

recently i finished reading the alchemist by paul cohelo. the alchemist is a magical story about a young boy's journey to find his treasure. this book unfolds the intricacies and beauty in the journey of understanding your true authentic self and allowing what dreams you think up along the way evolve into more than just thoughts. this book is a beautiful story of determination and defeat and is incredibly inspiring. below are some of my favorite quotes from the book. enjoy!

"it's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting."

"it's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them."

"when each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises."

" if God leads the sheep so well, he will also lead man."

" never stop dreaming...follow the omens."

" when you want something all the universe conspires to help you achieve it."

" making a decision is only the beginning of things. when someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision."

" intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life."

" once you get into the desert, there's no going back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward. the rest is up to God, including danger."

things that make me smile.

Almost two weeks ago now the cutest little bundle of joy joined my life. my little kitty Pumpkin! She is the best little kitty anyone can ask for. It’s good to come home to her and see her so excited to see me. Although my last week has been exhausting, and consume with training her on my sleep schedule, she is so making me smile these days.

my lil cuttie patootie

me and pumpkin's first day together...

she found a spot to sleep, out from under the bed, after an intense catch the fish on the string session. 

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...