Saturday Morning Epiphany

I just poured myself a nice cup of coffee and sliced up a piece of Buttermilk Banana and Blueberry Bread that I made last night. Yummmmy!!! And I'm going to sit down and get some reading done....that is after I post this. *snicker

This morning, as I was lying in bed, I watched a short video about books and reading. We all know.... at least I hope we do, that reading is the gateway to success. It expands our minds in so many ways, challenging us to reach deep into ourselves as well as pushing us to step out into the unknown. Now, I have always been a strong proponent of reading, but as a practitioner??

I am probably the worst! Yes, I'll admit it. I am the worst!

I am so impressed by the sheer number of books that successful people read in a day let alone a week, month or a year. So, upon some reflection on my own life.... I need to do better. 

I'm embarrassed to say that I have not read enough books. It's quite sad honestly.... I tell my daughter that I don't have time, yet I am able to find time to read news snippets on Facebook and the Internet. So, my goal this year is to read more. I'm going to increase the number of books I read in a month as well as stretch myself and venture into other genres. But where to start?

Well...... 

I have found it quite ironic that our current president, who is not an avid reader has actually inspired more people to pick up a book (i.e. 1984, The Handmaid's Tale)..... Unbeknownst to him, he has actually started a nationwide, perhaps worldwide, book club for those that are still grappling with the results of this election and the direction of the administration. If you are curious about some of the books that have been revived, take a look at the Literary Hub. In the future, I will most likely be looking to our current state of the Union to help me find a new book to read.... Until then, I already have a few in mind.

Since it's already on my TBR shelf, I will be tackling Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man as well as finishing up The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir.  As you can see from the picture below, when reading Alison's book, I have to printout a family tree to keep all the names straight for my journey into English history, which I love to study, but really......why is it that everyone had to be named Henry, Mary or John!!!

What book do you recommend? What has inspired you this year? And don't you just love my chaise lounge.....I love purple!

Buttermilk Banana & Blueberry Bread

Like almost everyone in the world, I have yucky bananas sitting on my counter. Every day I would walk by, glancing over at the bananas, each day taking note that more and more spots were be-speckling the once pretty yellow fruit. 

Finally, I couldn't take it any longer. I needed to do something! But what? I didn't want to make the same old boring banana nut bread, but I had nothing in my arsenal of cookbooks to help me..... So, off I went to see what Pinterest had to offer....was there anything out there that would catch my fancy?

Uh --- yea!

I found a Buttermilk Banana and Blueberry Bread recipe by DamnDelicious and after reading the various reviews and comments, and besides the fact that I absolutely love blueberries, I decided that this was the one. 

The only thing I didn't have was buttermilk, which I quickly purchased before picking up my youngest from school and voila! 

To. Die. For.

Buttermilk Banana & Blueberry Bread

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup blueberries
• 
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat loaf pans with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together and then reserve 3 tablespoonful for later.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until well combined. Beat in bananas until well combined. Gradually add flour mixture to the sugar mixture at low speed, until incorporated.
4. Toss blueberries with the reserved flour mixture and then add to the banana mixture gently folding until combined.
5. Pour batter into the loaf pan. Place into oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and let cool before inverting the cake onto a wire rack.

Fighting the Digital Natives

I'm exhausted, my throat is scratchy and sore from my battle cries and I'm barely holding it together. Trembling, alone and completely out numbered with no backup in sight, I desperately try to conjure up a plan of action. How do I take back control and save my family.

Save them.
Save us.

The world has been changing ever since their arrival, but we, none of us, knew that it would lead to this. The citizens of the world now bow their heads in reverence to these soul snatchers, blinded by their own ignorance as their lives slowly drain away. All that is left is just a hollow form of what was once a vibrant, lively human being.

I can't say that I am immune to them for I feel the pull and drain on my own being when I need to engage them; but, I am stronger and I know when to sever the ties before its too late. Unfortunately, the younger you are the more enticing they become and it is now commonplace to see toddlers and children locked in, their families completely unaware.

However, I do not believe it is a lost cause and I am not giving up on my family. No matter what, I will try to save what is left of my family. So, last night, in the wake of a heated battle with a digital native, I stripped him of his cell phone.

A Worthy Path to Style

This post comes at a time that is new and exciting for me. I have recently become a stylist for a New York City based fashion house called W by Worth.

I was first approached last summer about this opportunity, but things were just too crazy for me.... you know.... the PTA, the PPO, the house, the kids, my darling hubby and that crazy dog! So, as you can see, I had too much on my plate to even focus on what I would be serving my family for dinner, let alone trying to help others with their wardrobe.

Well, my new friend and District Manager Laura was ever persistent and we reconnected last month at a local Starbucks. I must admit, I was a bit unsure and skeptical about this whole thing until I walked into a local showroom.

You see, the brochure that I had flipped through and the website that I had scoured through was only a sampling of what the collection carried. There I stood among racks of neatly hung and coordinating pieces of clothing...... I felt like a kid in a candy store (yes, very cliche)!

I soon learned that although you may be able to purchase some items on the website..... only those that visit the showroom will be able to see the FULL collection.

Well, there I stood, Miss Skeptical, arms full of outfits that I wanted and fell in love with and my decision was made. Boom. Done. Where do I sign?

I want to represent this line. I want access to all the well designed and well thought out pieces and I want to share this collection with everyone! Oh, and can I wear this piece home?! PLEASE????

Now for those of you, like me, who are unfamiliar with W by Worth, I highly recommend that you take the time to look at some of their past collections as well as their current Spring one....you will love the clean and sophisticated style of W.

I do.

Visit my W by Worth Pinterest board here.

Now, just because you and I may not live in the same area, doesn't mean that I can't help you. I can easily show you our wonderful collection online or if you are in the New York Metro area, I can always meet you at our NYC showroom. If you are interested, you can reach me at Jchiang@wbyworth.com

Let me know your thoughts.....what is your style?

Busy little bee.....

For those who know me, you know that I love to stay busy. For the past 11 years I have been doing everything I could for the local schools. I've been on several parent teacher boards as well as a few years as trustee and President for the local Education Foundation.

With all of this, I have realized that I don't want to go back to my career as a pharmacist, but continue on the path of working with Non-profits and making a difference in the lives of others.

A few years back a good friend of mine, Scott Clinton of Scott Clinton Photography, told me about an organization that he was helping The Sandbox.

I had reached out to the Executive Director, Mara Campolungo, awhile back and we just recently hooked up again and I'm happy to say that we are working on bringing The Sandbox here to the New Jersey.

This organization helps put a smile on the faces of children with cancer and life altering diseases and it is an honor to have the opportunity to help them make a difference in the lives of others. I will keep you posted as to how things are going. In the meantime, check out the video below to see what they are about.

Dig deep and join us in The Sandbox!

If you would like to get involved, please contact me! We can truly help make a difference.

To speak or not to speak......

At this time of year, hopefully, we take the time to appreciate all the little things in our lives. Three of those things for me are my children and even though I complain here and there, I am thankful.

I am thankful for the life that I have been given and for all that has been provided for me. I am thankful for my loving friends and family and I am thankful that so far..... my kids have kept the straight and narrow (or so I believe).

Like many of you, I have waited in anticipation for this period in my life, where I would have the "dreaded" teenager, but so far I've been spared the heartache and frustration that seems to plaque these teenage years.

As parents we all try very hard to make sure we raise our children the right way. We give them opportunities we never had. We buy them things we never dreamed of. We encourage them with love and support, helping them when they fall and praising them when they succeed.

But let me ask you this....how well do we really know them? These mini-mes.... these carbon copies of us?

I have always prided myself in thinking that I "know" my daughter and that she would never do anything wrong. I also thought that all my friends enjoyed this same type of security  -- of "knowing" what our kids were up to. However, recent events have shattered this apparent false sense of security and now I find myself in strange waters.

So let me pose a question to you....

If you found out (from your daughter) that a friend's child has not followed the path of the straight and narrow and has engaged in inappropriate behaviors, would you tell her?

Would you say something, knowing that the child has already been deemed by her peers as wanton and licentious?

Would you say something, knowing that by doing so, you are also breaking the trust and confidence that your daughter has placed in you?

Or......

Would you hold your tongue?

I have asked this question to some of my friends and I find people falling into two categories.

One group feels that since the events occurred in the past, I should leave it alone and hope that the child is now in a better place. They feel that by divulging the "secret" at this point in time, there is no upside. I could potentially incur the wrath of my friend (because she may not believe me), cause a rift between my friend and her child, destroy my daughter's friendship and in the end I could also lose the trust and confidence my own daughter has placed in me and cause us to drift apart.

The other group feels that I should say something no matter the cost, while trying to minimize the potential backlash towards my daughter and hope that all will work out.

What are your thoughts?

Have you ever found yourself in this situation? If so, what did you do?

How would you feel if this were your child?

Challenge....Schmallenge....

30 day challenge? Please. What's so hard about doing a repetitive motion on a daily basis with a slight increase in reps. I know I can do it....no problem.

Fast forward 7 days......

OMG!!!! Owwwww......

Yes, just a mere week into my challenge and I'm starting to see stars and tears are beginning to well at the thought of squats, crunches and planks.

Over the past couple of weeks, I kept seeing friends and family members posting how they are starting up 30 day challenges to prepare for the upcoming bikini season. I usually just scrolled right past them on facebook, twitter and instagram, thinking to myself, "What's the challenge in doing that? I'm sure I can do a 30 day challenge". Then, one day as I was looking at the mirror (a very scary activity) I realized that I need to get myself in gear. I need to get in shape and become a healthier person. So, I decided to add the 30 day challenge idea into my routine (which is Zumba classes every so often).

I was determined.....30 day challenges don't scare me, in fact, I'm going to make it a REAL challenge and do a challenge incorporating 3 different exercises.

So off I went to my computer, looked up various poplular challenges and I decided to go with the 30 day Crunch-Squat-Plank Challenge. I copied the formatting from a few different sources and borrowed an image of a fit individual and titled my workout : I'm doing it for ME!

I quickly sent an email to my sister and one of my best friends and encouraged them to join me in this little quest to fitness. My sis.....(the smart one) declined, stating that she is already engaged in the 30 day plank, so it was left to me and Rita.

That evening as I was explaining everything to my family, I was very happy to see that my husband didn't poo-poo the idea....in fact, he agreed to join me on this crusade. We did our crunches, squats and planks with ease and for the first couple of days things were hunky-dory.

As the days progressed, it started to get more and more difficult.

....sad to say my hubby has since dropped out, stating his need to do the taxes, working late and then last night he was sound asleep and wouldn't get up. (YES! he stopped on Day 4 ~ WIMP!!!!)

My friend Rita and I are still at it, trying to encourage each other with daily text saying "Done", "Did it".... and telling each other that we are turning a new leaf, blah blah blah......but now, the text are beginning to show our fatigue and AGE.....such as sad thing - getting older.

Rita's text to me

However, we are determined to finish, although to be honest with you all, I'm not sure I'm going to make. So, to all those people who are doing various fitness challenges....."Hats off to you!! Keep it up and I'm sorry to ever think that these challenges were a piece of cake."

How about you? Have you ever done a fitness challenge? Would you consider doing one? Let me know, I would love to see what everyone is doing to get healthy.

Off to do my daily workout.....wish me luck (I think I will have a piece of cake when I'm done..... mmmmmm).

Chillin in Arizona.....seriously I'm cold

So I arrived in beautiful Scotsdale Arizona yesterday, leaving behind the frigid temperatures of New Jersey. 

I've been looking forward to this little break from winter for months and had high expectations. I packed my cutest summer dresses, shorts, a bunch of t-shirts, tanks and bikinis. 

We arrived at 11am and headed to the hotel. The sun was beaming, the sky a beautiful blue with puffy white clouds and flowers greeted us at every turn.

Ahhh.....how wonderful ...peaceful....and sunny.

Once we arrived at the hotel, I headed straight to our room, tossed my winter garb aside and put on a pair of shorts and a tee. I bounded to the lobby patio that overlooks the pool, plopped myself on a comfy orange couch and waited for the suns rays to envelope me. Instead......I was greeted with a strong "breeze"....ohhh not so warm. It's ok, perhaps it was just a passing breeze....

Boy was I wrong. After standing my ground for 5 mins, hoping the weather would change, I left the sunny patio defeated.

I dragged my teeth chattering, goosebumpy self back to the room and began to change back into my winter attire. I scolded my husband later on in the evening for persuading me not to bring a jacket or sweatshirt.

"We're going to Arizona....you're not going to need it."

Hello!!!! Where is the nearest mall? 

I am however hopeful that the rest of the week will prove  better....so far today has been warmer. I got to relax by the pool (yes, bathing suit and all) and had a yummy drink.

Either way, I'm here on vacation, sans kids (thanks to my mom and dad---love you guys!!!). I finished The Fault In Our Stars by John Green ~ fantastic, but have a box of tissues nearby....and I'm currently reading Insurgent by Veronica Roth, the second book of the Divergent series ~ another wonderful dystopian world series. Check them out if you have time.

Oh, i just got a text from my girlfriend.... apparently they enjoyed a lovely day with temperatures reaching a high of 21 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yea, on second thought, I'll take the balmy 70 degree breeze, goosebumps and all.

...no more complaining.

Where are you right now and are ya cold?

What books are you reading? What do you recommend?

Happy International Women's Day 2014

"Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world"

Hillary Clinton

I took this on my trip to China for a medical/humanitarian mission.

If we take the time to invest in the girls around the world, we can truly make the world a better place. Join me in supporting Girl Rising.

How are you helping the world?

Drowning In a Sea of Parenthesis and Curly Brackets

function....span....append....element....$(this).....var... )}; .......?!

help.

Now, as some of you know, I have embarked on a new path. I'm taking lessons to become a web developer and it's been a struggle. In fact, this past week I feel like a fish out of water.

What possessed me to start this?! Why am I learning how to code?

Well, to be honest, I love this stuff....... I must if I'm up till 2am trying to debug my project.....yes, 2am....and guess what? After hours and hours of looking for the problem, I found the culprit. The reason my "code" wasn't working was due to a misplaced quotation mark! UGH!!!! Really???!

Anyway, no matter my level of interest and passion for learning all of this, it has been dwarfed by my feeling of total stupidity.

Apparently, not only did my vision go once I hit forty, but my brain as well. I cannot for the life of me retain the information that I've been reading. What once would have taken me minutes to comprehend in my youth, now takes me an hour.

It's so sad.

However, I'm not giving up. I've got a wonderful mentor and a supportive discussion group from taking my course at Thinkful......I will finish the course, ugly web pages and all......well, hopefully not really ugly.

So, bring it on O'mighty tech world.....I will learn to embrace you curly brackets and all.


Have you ever felt lost at what you are attempting to learn? Has your brain turned to mush too?

Winter Wonderland Vacation

This winter our school calendar has been plagued with snow day after snow day.....I can't recall when we have had a full week of school.

Now, for those of you who don't know me, I don't like the cold weather....in fact, I HATE it. The only reason I like to live in the northeast is because I do enjoy the change of seasons.....which makes me appreciate the warmer weather - Ha!

Anyhow, this year we decided to spend our winter break with my husbands family....and where, you might ask, did we go????

Well, why not the snowy mountain tops of West Virginia at a ski resort called Snowshoe Mountain.

What?! No way am I going somewhere cold...

....... fine, so that my children can play with their beloved cousins, I will take one for the team....*sniff sniff.

We were all pretty much set to go on Thursday Februrary 13th when the emails and text messgages starting buzzing.....WINTER STORM WARNING - the worst we have seen this yea, starting on none other than Wednesday, February 12th.

Perfect.

Just perfect.

I immediately called up my dearest hubby, who was in NC on a business trip, and told him to forget his flight home and rent a car and meet me in West VA.

I dropped off the dog, pulled my kids out of school, packed up the car and started out for what turned into an eleven hour road trip to West Virginia....and yes, we were driving into the oncoming storm system.

hmmmmm....maybe that wasn't too smart ~ but if we stayed we would have never gotten out.

Now, I'm not afraid to drive long distance and I'm not bad driving in the snow....BUT after driving for nine hours straight with three kids in the car along a winding mountain road, flanked with bottomless cliffs, one starts to get a bit jittery.....then when you add the lack of cell service, 8 degree inclines and heavy snow fall paired with darkness.....you get the comment "wow, you look like you've aged five years.".....SMACK!

Well, the good thing is that we made it in one piece - maybe not mentally, but physically. Three families drove in on the night the snow began while the other two groups drove in later.....one taking 2 hours to drive 30 miles from Winston-Salem and the other getting stuck in the snow due to the lack of 4-wheel drives at the rental place.

Needless to say, the children had a blast with their cousins. The slopes were fantastic and my children who have never skied before really enjoyed themselves. We stayed at a Ski-In Ski-Out unit with a hot tub that apparently can fit a whole lotta cousins.

I, for one, will never ever drive up the mountain during a snowstorm again.....my vote for the next reunion ..... let's go to the beach!

What did you do this winter?

One of the dads remembered that it was Valentine's Day.
He brought flowers for all the Moms.....So Sweet!

Did you do anything for Valentine's Day?

Taking the Plunge!

Well, I finally did it.

After learning that I'm considered a butterfly when it comes to resume reviews, I decided to sit down and think hard about what it is I want to do.

".....gee, what am I gonna be when I grow up?"

HELLO?!?!? Wake up! You're a mother of three and your well into your fo--orrr---ties.

While all this true...... what does it matter?

Honestly, it's really now or never. I have never been a big fan of my actual career path as a pharmacist and having taken years off to raise my children, I really don't want to head back to the healthcare arena in that capacity.

It's time to follow my dreams. Learn something new and start on a new path before I'm really too old! So, last week, I signed up for the Front-End-Web-Developement course offered by Thinkful.

How do I like it? Well, so far it's not too bad....I've only fallen asleep once while reading some text (reading always puts me to sleep) and I've had a couple of assignments that have lead to a little frustration on my part as I tried to do things not yet in my wheelhouse, but......I'm super excited.

I'm finally understanding how and why things are coded the way they are and I find it absolutely fascinating! Ok, you can say it.....NERD!!!!! GEEK!!!! But I don't care! I love it!!

I can now take a blank web page and make it look like something....of course at this time it's rather ugly, but hey it's my first week.....it can only get better. (if you want to see the real thing you can click here : https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/49988315/html-resume/resume.html )

This is a screenshot of the webpage I made for class.....it's ugly, I know.

It's still early to give an educated opinion on the course I'm taking, but the Thinkful FEWD program  seemed more comprehensive than some of the other courses out there - at least for me. I need a little more nudging....and knowing that I have to meet with my mentor every week and seeing what my "classmates" are doing, motivates me to get off the couch and get moving, or in my case throw my PTA and child rearing responsibilities to the side.

Have you ever thought about changing careers? If so, let me know..... I would love to hear your stories.

Listen, if I can do it after all these years, you can too.....follow your dreams and reach for the stars.

I'm Still Breathing!!!!

Yes, believe it or not, I'm still alive and kicking.

This has been one crazy year and I must really try to make an effort to continue my blog....why? Because I love writing.

So what in the world could have kept me from blogging? Well......hmmmm....what a loaded question.

First off, I was an idiot and agreed to be the PTA president of my daughters elementary school....yes, they saw the "Sucker" sign on my forehead and said "Ask her!!!" So, now my house is in shambles, laundry piled up to the sky and kids are barely eating what I would deam a "healthy" meal. I have emails from parents regarding anything and everything, fundraiser baskets and decorations spewed throughout my house and a monstrous size bottle of Pepcid next to my bed ....and, if that wasn't enough, I agreed to help head the Ad journal/playbill for my daughter's highschool, I'm on the Picnic committee that welcomes over 300+ children to our school, I will be helping a local Investment company with idea generation, I was asked to help play/sing in a cover band and I finally decided to take the plunge and start my journey to a new career as a web developer, while maintaining my pharmacy degree!

Phew!

Yes.....stupid is as stupid does....or as my husband said the other day....Mid-Life Crisis!

Is there anyone out there who is in the same boat? What have you been up to?

Why can't I say NO?!?!

This is a question that I ask myself time and time again when I can't find time to blog, cook, clean or sleep.

Why do i say this? Well, before I dive into that conversation, let me just say how lucky I am. Really! I'm lucky that family hasn't disowned me yet and that my husband hasn't asked for a divorce.

You see, I just can't say no when asked to help out at the school. I'm not talking about the occasional lunch duty or library mom.....I'm talking about starting this school year by saying:

"Yes, I will be willing to be the PTA president."

"Oh, it's a two year commitment? No problem."

"Yes, I can definitely do the monthly newsletter for the high school."

"Yes, I can easily build a whole new website for the PTA."

"Oh and the constant contact thing? I can totally set that up and get it running for two different school districts. No problem!"

"Yes, I will be willing to do the 80+ page playbill/ad journal for the high school musical."

Piece of cake......

Really? What in the world am I smoking? Actually, I don't smoke, but seriously..... what's wrong with me? 

You would think that after spending fours years on the Education Foundation (two of which I was co-president) I would high tail it and run for the hills when approached to help the schools, but in all honesty......I actually enjoy it. 

Ugh! Yes!

I. Enjoy. It.

There, I said it. grumble....grumble....

I enjoy working 80-100 hours a week and not collect a single penny.

I enjoy having one meal a day and have it be a frozen dinner because I'm busy working on PTA stuff.

I enjoy being the only nut who is awake at 4am working on a flier because I can't find the perfect font. Can you say font freak? That's me! The end all be all of font freakism.

No, but seriously, I really do enjoy it. It all makes it worth while when I see the children benefit from something that I was a part of.

And it gives me a way to be creative.....

We had a teacher breakfast the week before the kids came back and I think they really liked it. I put together a little gift from me to them as a small token of my appreciation, with my phone number on it. (That may prove to be a mistake, but so far so good!)

We welcomed the teachers with French toast, bacon, sausages, eggs, Coffee, juice, and fresh fruit.....and of course, French Cafe Music.

Welcome set up for Teacher Breakfast.....

I got this idea from Pinterest....

The feedback I got was amazing! The teachers were so happy to get a warm breakfast and they loved the whole set up.....one teacher asked if they could have this everyday - she felt as if she were in France.

So, although I may complain and not get any sleep these next two years......it will be worth it. I love to see the smiles and know that I had a hand in it!

So, to all the PTAs, PPOs and all the other acronyms I can't think of right now....ask me to help, why not...... I'm in a giving mood and here is a little tip.....I can't say no. 

5 Things.....

I saw this little exercise on Stephanie's Life-Unexpectedly and thought that it would be fun to do. So here we go.... in no particular order

5 Things I have a passion for:

• family
• music
• lyrics
• computers/gadgets/graphics (that's the geek in me)
• cooking

5 Things I'd like to do before I die:

• enter a dance competition (Tango all the way!)
• learn another language - Italian or French --- or better yet, both
• write a book and have it published
• see my children grow up to be happy, responsible adults
• learn how to really code & start my own web design company

5 Things I say lot:

• Uh-huh....
• Did you hear what I just said?
• Hurry up!
• Love you honey (this is from my Baltimore days)
• I'm tired (because it's true)

5 Books I've recently read:

• Inferno by Dan Brown 
• Divergent by Veronica Roth (yes...... I heart teen paranormal romance books)
• The Host by Stephanie Meyer (better written than the Twilight series - I'm Team Edward!)
• Defending Jacob by William Landay
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (hated the ending!)

5 Favorite Movies:

• Under The Tuscan Sun (probably my all time favorite)
• Dirty Dancing
• Pretty Woman
• Independence Day
• Gladiator

5 Places I'd like to travel to:

• Italy - Tuscany
• Morocco
• Croatia
• Germany
• France

5 Blogs I'll tag: Like Stephanie, I would like to open this fun little game to everyone....so let me know if you decide to partake. I would love to see some of your 5's!!!!

Chillin in Cape May

So it's the middle of August and I'm just starting to relax. What have I been doing this whole time? Well, for some reason....during a brief moment of insanity, I agreed to be the President of PTA for my youngest daughters elementary school. 

Yup.... Sucker.

Honestly, I do enjoy it to some degree. I love working on the computer - making newsletters, finding new fonts, playing with photo images..... I actually just finished creating a brand new website for the PTA and I must say --- not too shabby.

Anyhow, here I am finally relaxing by the shore and I thought I would take this time to send out a post.

It's about 3pm right now and we've had a full day already....kite flying, shopping, arcade house, scooting, reading, eating and napping.

This is actually our fourth year vacationing in Cape May New Jersey ...and we love it. We've been coming here with my sister and her family (love my niece & nephew) and my mom & dad - its truly my favorite time of the year.

Here's my kid sister as we take a little respite at an organic coffee/ice cream shop called Bliss (cute little shop on one of the back streets of Cape May).

Where is your favorite place to vacation?

A Twist on Tabbouleh

I'm a foodie.

I absolutely love eating and trying cuisines from different parts of the world. In fact, this was one of the driving forces that brought my husband and I together - our taste buds were in sync.

Now, because I am a serious foodie.....who loves to cook and has an incurable obbession for cookbooks, I've decided to share my journey in the culinary world with you. I've already been sharing my cooking escapades on Facebook and Instagram for awhile now and it occurred to me --- why not share it on my blog.

So, here we go....open your mind and your palette....

The first recipe that I want to share with you calls for a bit of a twist on the traditional tabbouleh. Since I'm a huge fan of tabbouleh, I was immediately drawn to this recipe when I saw it.

What did I make? Quinoa Tabbouleh.

This refreshing take of a Middle Eastern classic had my mouth watering before I could get the ingredients out.

I paired it with Lemon Chicken (super moist - will share that recipe one day) and it was fantastic. The only thing I might do differently next time is to add a bit more cucumbers and cut the tomatoes up a little smaller.

Recipe: Quinoa Tabbouleh (from Bon Appetit 6/2012)

Tabbouleh (Arabic: تبولة‎ tabūlah; also tabouleh or tab(b)ouli) is a Levantine Arab salad traditionally made of bulgur, tomatoes, cucumbers, finely chopped parsley, mint, onion, and garlic and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt, although there are various other variations such as using couscous instead of bulgur. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Quinoa (/ˈkiːnwɑː/ , Spanish: quinua, from Quechua: kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the true grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beetroots, spinach and tumbleweeds. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large English hothouse cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation

Bring quinoa, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. 

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. 

Spread out quinoa on a large rimmed baking sheet; let cool. Transfer to a large bowl; mix in 1/4 cup dressing. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover remaining dressing and quinoa separately; chill. 

Add cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining dressing over.

If you make this, let me know how it went....share your picture!

Three for Me

It's been awhile since I've posted a Three for Me piece, so here it goes.....

1. Sydney's Birthday - This was, of course the top of the list for my three favorite things this week. My little girl is now nine! It's her "last year in the single digits" as she put it. We spent her birthday at my parent's house in central Jersey and had a very delicious and fattening cake. Unfortunately, as a summer baby, she doesn't get that many parties, but I think this year we will try and do something special once school starts and all her friends are home. Happy Birthday Sweetie! We love you.

Happy Birthday to you....Happy Birthday to you....

2. My sister Jen - Now, my sis and I are about five years apart and we are very close. For awhile, she lived in the same town as me, but due to my brother-in-laws job, they relocated to Pennsylvania. I really miss having her near by...... Jen has always been there for me, no matter what. We laugh, goof off and try to hang out as much as possible. She and I may disagree, argue and get mad at each other (what siblings don't?), but I know that no matter what I do or say......she loves me and will always be there to support me and I feel the same towards her. By the way, Jen recently celebrated another birthday so....here's another shout-out to her: Happy Birthday Jen!!!!!

Took this at a Musikfest concert in between sets...we had a blast!

3. Aw-Shucks Roasted Corn - yes, I'm serious. This corn is on my favorite things this week. Why? Why?!!! The only thing I can say is join me at Musikfest next year and I will show you why. Hands down.....this is the best corn ever!!! I'm still dreaming about this.....yummmmmm

I took this right before I devoured it - Can I have one more please?

What are your three favorite things this week?

The Evolution of My Style

I'm not one to follow celebrities or talk about what the next trend is.....but, when it comes to fashion and clothing, I definitely have an opinion.

So, why am I even writing about this stuff? Well, I was surfing the web and decided to look up fashion blogs for 40 year olds. What did I find? A nice splattering of blogs, but nothing that spoke to me and my style....

Are you curious as to what my fashion picks would be for a mature woman who isn't dead and over the hill.....(yes, women over 40 do have a pulse and we can still turn heads.....in a good way)? Check out my Pinterest page and let me know your thoughts. 

I'm no fashion guru in any sense, but I have a pretty good sense on what looks good on me and how to pair my outfits with accessories to complete the look.

This, however, was not always the case.

Yup, I admit it, I've been around the block when it comes to fashion. I just couldn't find that perfect fit. I went from Punk to Preppy, from the Cuties look to Mommy Mode and still wasn't satisfied. It has taken me almost forty years on this planet to figure out my "style" (and still it's evolving everyday).

To put it simply, I would categorize myself as a Classic Modern Edge type of girl.

I love the boldness of the Punk era, the classic restraint of the Preppies, the freshness of the Cuties look and the comfort of the mommy attire. Put it all together and voila...... ME!

My day to day wear is pretty relaxed and simple, but whenever I get a chance to dress up and look nice....I'm jumping for joy!

Whether I'm heading to a Black Tie event or just an evening out with my friends, there are a few things that I run through my head to make sure all's good.

Here are a few things that are on my check list when it comes to dressing for an occasion.

1. Outfit - This not only has to fit the occasion, but it has to make me smile. I will only buy an outfit if, when I put it on, it makes me smile and think - wow!
2. Shoes - The type of footwear I choose, is of course, determined by the outfit and the occasion.... but, I usually opt for a beautiful pair of heels. Anyone who knows me, knows I love stilettos. (Once a year I will splurge and get myself a pair of classic heels that will last for seasons to come.)
3. Jewelry - An outfit isn't quite complete without a little jewel to finish it off. This can range from a simple thin bracelet to a statement necklace.
4. Clutch - To be honest, I usually skip this and throw everything into my husbands suit pocket, but when he isn't around, I will grab a bag/clutch/purse that compliments the overall feel and look I'm going for.
5. Make-up - Hello! I'm forty-three....not looking as fresh as I once did. Still, I keep it simple and effortless.
6. Perfume - Call my crazy, but I can't leave the house without my perfume on. This happened once and it drove me crazy. I also feel that it's important to have a signature scent.....it took me a whole year to find the perfect one for me.

This is my signature perfume....gotta love Vera Wang

Well, I'm off.....I need to get out of my pjs, which has recently been my daily attire....I've been stuck at home doing who knows what, but today I'm going out!

Project 52: Childhood Games

{childhood games}

These photos are submitted for Bella's Project 52 in response to her prompt "Childhood Games".

To see more images click here.