Monday, May 31, 2010

what a long day

i love it when i have a long day. got up early & went to the mall. i had a reservation at chick-fil-a to try their new spicy chicken sammich which was pretty good by the way. the manager took a picture with us because we were his first spicy chicken customers! he he. somehow i got talked into taking the girls to the beach. i don't mind going to the beach. it's not my favorite but the girls love it! i did get to read the first chapter of a book i just started. i know, i know...i'm suppose to be finishing the book i started a while back but i was invited to join a book club & i accepted. the book is called "if i am missing or dead" by janine latus. seems to be interesting so far.

so nothing creative today. i realized that it's been 8 years since i came up with this idea to put photos on my hallway wall! you think it's time i do it before i change my mind? 8 years is such a long time! time really goes by fast :( anyway, i got some new frames today too & arranged them on the floor to see how they would look on my wall. well silly me...i need photos for my frames!!!!! geez! i have about 20 frames and only about 9 pictures. so i have all my photo disks out and i'm about to spend the rest of my night going through them.

still trying to think of something i did today that was creative but i didn't even cook a great meal. we ate at my mom's house for dinner. i have all these things in my mind that i want to do...all these ideas, things to draw or paint, things to do, books to read, places to go and see. it really feels good to actually do these things & cross them off in my book as being done! i always have a list of things to do.

it was fun driving around with the top down today even tho it was over 90 degrees!!! i do look forward to more days like today this summer.

busy sunday

so a new month is about to begin.
i decided to make some simple goals for june:
***wake up every morning by 7am
***create something, anything, at least once a day
***lose 5 pounds; do something active for at least 30 min a day
***finish reading "eat, pray, love" (i started it so many months ago i probably need to start all over!)
***take the girls somewhere once a week...
-virginia aquarium
-chrysler museum
-virginia living museum
-norfolk zoo
-botanical gardens
the zoo and gardens are both in norfolk and we can visit them in one day. they each have a butterfly garden area that i'm really interested in seeing. i have an area in my backyard that i want to turn into my own butterfly garden.

speaking of gardens, it was in the 90s outside and today of all days i'm in the mood to work in my flowerbeds. I wish i took a "before" picture of the section i worked on. it was loaded with weeds and grass. most of the plants and that juniper tree i planted there last year were looking awful. i dug, i shoveled, i pulled everything out by hand. my soon to be ex happened to come by (not use to referring to him that way yet). i got him to dig up the juniper and plant the new petunias i bought today.

so here's my creative creation for the day!
i need to get some mulch and plan to put a small tree in the middle, probably a japanese maple. it's amazing how much of a difference mulch can make. my creation looks pretty dry but i'm really proud of all my hard work!

i actually had 2 creations today...the 2nd being the yummy dinner i made! i did one of those seafood pots. i cheated & got my crab legs seasoned & steamed at farm fresh. but in my pot, i had shrimp, red potatoes, onion, bulb of garlic, lemon, can of beer, shrimp/crab boil seasoning, turkey smoked sausage, & yummy yummy fresh sweet corn on the cob!

well, i have the holiday off tomorrow. i do plan to place a photo collection on my hallway wall, something i've been wanting to do for a very long time. maybe that will be my creative creation for the day :)

Sunday, May 30, 2010

bento again!


all american

-fried chicken wings
-deviled eggs: i put them in those egg molds, a bunny & a bear, i'm not sure if i did it right, the directions are written in japanese! I sliced them in half to put the filling inside
-cucumber flowers with tomatoes and onion (marinated overnight in vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt & pepper)
-heart shaped corn bread
-sliced corn on the cob...do you know how hard it is to cut a piece of corn cob? is there an easier way?
-oh, and i filled one of those mini sauce containers with sriracha sauce


i made 2 of these to take with me to work. they really are a lot of fun to make & i really enjoy sharing them!

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

new habit #1

start & end my day off right...create a daily routine

morning:
1. wake up at the same time everyday!
2. drink a glass of water
3. perform some healthy stretches
4. meditate and/or Bible study for 15 minutes
5. go over my list of "things to do today"
6. shower/get dressed
7. actually make & eat breakfast

evening:
1. write in my gratitude journal
2. plan tomorrow
3. some sort of facial routine
4. read (book of the month) and/or study (french or photography)
at least 30 minutes or until i get sleepy

i love to sleep in...i have a bad habit of hitting the snooze button remember? but i end up feeling most days that i wasted too much time. i think now, since the hubby moved out, that i am sleeping better. i don't have to deal with his snoring! isn't that a blessing? i do, however, still have to deal with baxter's :)

i've read a lot about starting the day with a glass of water. i usually have a glass at my bedside every night and finish it off when i wake up so this shouldn't be too hard to accomplish.

i need to research on the best stretches to do in the morning. maybe i'll work this one up to actually doing real exercises!

i don't know how to meditate. my mind is always running & i can't seem to clear it enough for meditation. i do want to study the Bible more, in particular, joyce meyer has talked of "fruits of the spirit" and "love" so i'm interested in those areas. or instead of meditating i could actually do some sketching...a form of meditation could be accessing the right side of my brain, right?

i'm still working on the evening routine. let's see how i do in all this. so far this week i've been waking up about 7am. maybe that can be my wake up time, but if i have to work an open shift, i usually leave by 7:20 so that won't work on those days. i'll figure something out. i'm afraid if i wake up too early, i'll be back in bed after lunch!

Monday, May 24, 2010

random things about me...

* i am the mother of 3 beautiful girls
* i started motherhood at the age of 14
* i am the mother of a wonderful boston terrier i call baxter
* i've been a nurse for 18 years (6 as an LPN & 12 as an RN)
* i want to be an artist when i grow up
* i love to cook (and eat)
* i'm back in school working on a bachelor's degree in nursing
* i have 2 associate's degrees (nursing & social sciences)
* i hate going to the gym
* i could probably eat pizza & french fries with a pepsi everyday
* i have a sweet tooth!
* i can't dance
* i can't sing & won't if i know someone is listening or watching me
* i wish i could sing and dance
* i enjoy naps on my hammock
* i hate liars (this should be #1)
* i have a thing for pens, i can't seem to get enough of them
* i've always loved garfield
* i enjoy watching cartoons (George & Martha is one of my favorites)
* i have sensitive teeth to cold (i have to microwave my salads & fruit)
* i love watching "murder, she wrote"
* i can't tell a joke and have a hard time telling stories
* i love to laugh
* i love, love, love, love, love surprises!!!!!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

cultivating new habits

it was too easy to think of all my bad habits the other day. i tried to come up with a list of all my good habits...not so easy. the only thing i could think of was:
1. i always say "please" & "thank you" (it just comes naturally to me)
2. i never go hungry
3. i usually give 100% or more whenever i do anything
4. i keep my body clean
5. i don't smoke
6. i avoid clutter & don't hoard stuff

well that's it. i'm still thinking of bad habits i could add to the other list.

i was thinking that a part of my transformation would require managing my time better. one thing i realized, i let my life revolve around my work schedule. not a good thing when i have such a haphazard schedule. open one day, work a mid shift the next, then close the next. or i might close one night, turn around and have to open the next morning. i might be scheduled to work 7 hours one shift, 10 hours, or even 12 hours! i can't even count on my weekends because i might work 3 saturdays a month, every other weekend, a sunday here or there. it's just chaos! when i close, i don't know what time i will get home. yeah, i know...blah blah blah. at least i have a job and a good paying one at that. i do work hard and i earn every penny!

so now i'm in the process of evaluating my time & i'm thinking of how i can do some things differently. i keep complaining that time is moving so fast. well, i need to make the most out of every minute of my day.

i'm going to come up with some new habits. let's see how i do!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

breakfast!



i would prefer to skip breakfast on most days. i have to really be in the mood for it. i guess i was in the mood for it yesterday when i decided to make a breakfast bento. i found some turkey lil smokies and used some of the new bento accessories i have. there's mini french toast and syrup in the little bear container. i made that japanese omelet, tamagoyaki, for the first time, it was kinda difficult. i used spinach in the middle. i definetly need more practice. i found a cute little square non stick frying pan, it's actually advertised to make grilled cheese but thought it would work as a tamagoyaki pan. i would like all of my bentos to have a fruit and a veggie component so i added cherries since that's what i had in my fridge.
i really enjoy this new hobby of mine :)

Sunday, May 16, 2010

list of angela's bad habits

1. procrastination
2. trying to make sense out of nonsense
3. insomnia
4. hitting the snooze button
5. forgetfulness
6. biting my inner bottom lip
7. picking zits & scabs on my face
8. using the words (& thinking) "would of", "could of", or "should of"
9. complaining
10. saying "yes" or "ok"
11. taking too much for granted
12. working too hard and not playing hard
13. not cooking what i plan initially, letting groceries go to waste
14. eating when bored
15. having to eat popcorn at the movie theatre no matter what
16. biting a broken fingernail
17. not finishing everything i start
18. wanting to say or do something at a given moment but don't

i'm sure i have more ;-)

changes

be careful what you pray for, you just might get what you want, right?
i've been asking for a change for a very long time.
i am angry. i am sad. i feel betrayed & abandoned. i feel used & abused.
18 years & this is what i get.
i just have to realize that i am in a situation where i didn't have a choice. the choice was made for me. but i can choose to make the most of it. i can choose to make the best of it. i can choose to stay positive.
this is certainly a change, it's not what i wanted but it's what i got. now what?
back to the drawing board.....

Sunday, May 9, 2010

baxter



my playful baxter
so much energy to burn
dog for me to love


i haven't sketched anything in a long time. i was having trouble. but as i worked through it, my vision started to change. i started seeing basic shapes and suddenly it was starting to come together. i didn't have time to finish. i was using charcoal on newsprint.

at work today i thought of a haiku poem about my baxter. unfortunately i was in the bathroom. when i thought to write it down, i completely forgot it! it was awful. i should have wrote it on toilet paper or something! so i tried to make up a new one and that is what i came up with.

happy mother's day everyone!

Friday, May 7, 2010

so complicated!


yesterday i made this bento box & it was so difficult. i had a hard time figuring out how to fit everything in.
and who's bright idea was it to try and make my own california rolls anyway? and who knew having one of those bamboo rolling mats would've helped? and who knew that cutting them with a very sharp knife would be necessary? this was definitely a great way to test the sharpness of the knives i have! the friend i made it for really enjoyed it anyway. so my friend is my guinea pig...i made the 1st one for her too. i think that is one of the reasons i really enjoy making these...the "wows" "oohs" and "ahhs" i get. feeling that sense of pride. i always enjoy cooking for other people. i actually love doing things for other people as long as i don't know that i'm being used and taken for granted.




so then i got home from work last night & was surprised to find my order had been delivered! i felt like it was my birthday! lookout girlfriend, you're about to get a bento full of cuteness...hope all that cuteness doesn't make you too nauseated :)

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

my first bento!


i had so much fun making this neat little creation. i worked with what i had in my kitchen & i enjoyed every minute of it!
i made some korean jap chae, cucumber kimchi, something i call spinach kimchi, and made one of those rice balls (onigiri) for the 1st time.
i found a mini heart shape cookie cutter & cut out the cucumbers. i used the spinach to fill the onigiri. the spinach is blanched, then marinated with sesame oil, garlic, green onions, salt, & sesame seeds. i added a few sliced strawberries & oranges. i just added the broccoli and mini carrots to fill in the corners. (i always thought broccoli was spelled "brocholi"! i'm learning new things already by doing this blog!)
i got the recipe for this spinach and the jap chae from a neat cookbook called "quick & easy korean cooking" by cecilia hae-jin lee.
i need to work on my photography skills. i wish you could see how brilliant the colors were. i look forward to making more (and eating more)!

this is the beginning

"just do it". that's what i always say but i'm guilty for not following my own advice. so now this is it. here the journey begins....no more excuses & no more procrastinating. i've been interested in art for as long as i can remember. i love most things that have anything to do with the creative process. everything i do that taps into the right side of my brain makes me so happy, the kind of happy i just can't get doing anything else.

i want to be an artist when i grow up!

what am i afraid of?
why is there a hesitation to do something that makes me feel good?
what am i waiting for?

are there other artists out there that feel the same way?
is there anyone out there that took that leap of faith and just did it despite fears and obstacles?
where are you? i'd like to hear your stories.