Cake in a Cup (Brownie too)

So this afternoon me and my friend Deanna discovered stumbleupon.com (amazing time killer and cool stuff). Soon that time of the day where we all like to snack snuck up on us, and at that moment she "stumbled upon" a recipe for cake in a cup. The desire for something chocolate over took me as I recalled having a recipe for brownie in a cup that my (then boyfriend, now husband) had sent me while he was overseas and I was in college.

So here are the two recipes for our easy and delicious afternoon chocolate fix. Perfect for a woman who is stressed and in need of that occasional chocolate fix, or a girl headed off for college and single-serving living.


Brownie in a Mug

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

dash of salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons water

1/3 teaspoon vanilla

small handful of chocolate chips (optional)

Whisk together dry ingredients in a coffee mug, standard size (11 oz.) or larger. Add oil, water, and vanilla and mix thoroughly--making sure to scrape the bottom and sides so that it's all incorporated. If you'd like, mix in chocolate chips.

Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. The finished product will be soft-ish and chewy.

Cool for a minute. Eat right out of the mug :)

Cake in a Cup

And the verdict is in....

DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!

Learning to Embrace the Rain

In New England the rain is usually cold and wet (well, of course rain is wet, but you know what I mean) it is damp and takes a long time to dry. If you don't have the proper rain gear (which is too much work to have with you at all times because you never know when it might rain) most likely a rainy day means running from one place to another and being soggy all day. I know that running doesn't make you get any less wet in the rain, but it means less time you have to spend in that cold sputter. So often I would grab anything important, put it under my shirt and run for the nearest cover. Muttering all the way how I hated the rain and wish it would just go away. It ruined everything.

One day I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop down town Portsmouth, I came to a realization. Rain is good. It washes away what is temporary and leaves what is permanent. It cleanses. It brings life. I still hated the rain. I still ran. I still wished it away.  

Then I moved to West Texas. (oh the humor life hands us). Here it is always sunny and hot. We joke that the weather man says the same three things everyday: hot, sunny, windy. The town where I currently reside in in the middle of mountain ranges. Rain often goes around us, leaving this little town dry. So when it does rain, it is welcomed with open arms. It is celebrated. When it rains you can drink tea and feel comforted, you can take a hot shower and feel relaxed, you can open the window and let cool breezes in, you can see plants drink deep of refreshment.

Here the rain is something to be embraced.

It is amazing how something is viewed because of how often (or how little) it is available. Sometimes it takes something not being normal for one to appreciate it. So in this desert, I am learning to embrace the rain.


     

Up-cycled Flip-Flops

I saw this idea on Pinterest: Click Here

This is my version of it using part of an old T-shirt and Dollar Store flip-flops.

Using the bottom half of an old T-shirt (size M womens)

I cut strips about an inch or so wide. 

I cut 4 of these strips.

Once they are cut I twisted them tightly. 

After cutting the plastic straps out of the flip-flops, fold the first strip in half. 

Push both ends through the toe hole of the flip-flop.

Tie the two ends together and pull tight.

Take the second strip and push one end through one of the ankle holes.

Tie the end in a knot on the bottom. 

Then about 2 inches or so above the base tie the second strip to the first.

Put on the sandle and measure across the top of your foot and tie the strip again to the other side. 

Like this:

Pull the rest of the strip through the other ankle hole and tie. Cut off excess material.

There you have it! The cloth is more comfortable and fancier. (and the t-shirt material is stretchy)

 Another idea would be to use ribbon. 

Where ribbon is not stretchy I would suggest making them tie in the back.

You could also add some sort of decoration to the sandle. Flowers, bows, etc.

As always, use your creativity!

How to Fix a Broken flip-flop

A friend of mine showed me this yesterday and I had to share. Have you ever been running (or walking) in flip-flops and the toe catches on something and the front tab that holds the strap in place pops out. I hate when that happens. Most times it will pop back in, but it tends to keep popping out (and its very annoying). This little tip will help you fix those flip-flops.

Ok, so start with that broken flip-flop :(

Take you thumb and push the tab back through the hole.

Pull it through the back.

Take a bread tab (save these when you buy bread or other items that have them)

Place the bread tab around the flip-flop strap.

Pull tight

Wa-lah! All fixed :)

I joined Fitocracy !

In step with me wanting to be more healthy and have a little help/accountability in that area, my cousin pointed me to an awesome website: Fitocracy. I joined today and added my Pilates workout from this morning, earning myself 136 points. WAHOO! Ok so its probably not that great or cool, but it was enough to make me excited that I worked out today (even though I hit "dismiss" instead of "snooze" this morning and missed the morning walk I was going to take). Honestly that is probably what is going to keep me on this path that I have started. I don't get motivated by muscle burn or large triceps. I hate running and nothing in me screams "I WANT A SALAD!". So finding something that can so me my progress (which isn't weight loss or muscle gain, it is being consistant with my healthy choices) is motivation for me. 

A Better Me!

For as long as I can remember I have hated to exercise (unless it was so fun I didn't know I was exercising) and I LOVE junk food. Healthy has NEVER been my thing. Recently the consequences of my past choices (not eating right, being too busy so I eat while I work, eating disorders, etc) have caught up to me. Well, they started to catch up to me about a year and a half ago; but I didn't see it that way. I saw it as a inconvenience to my hectic lifestyle that I loved. I did what I did for anything that tried to slow me down, popped some pills and pushed through. Eventually it shut me down completely (like days away from being hospitalized because my body was shutting down) I started to make a few changes and got some nontraditional medicine from a guy who worked in wellness healing. Then I started to watch my diet a little, and occasionally work out. I still wasn't back to 100%. Finally last week it really started to bother me that I haven't felt 100% in over a year. So I decided to DO something about it.

My curent goals are to EVERYDAY:
1) Drink at least 1 gallon of water.
2) Eat healthier (avoiding soda, fast foods, and foods I know mess up my intestines)
3) Exercise in some way (the days I work at the hotel count as exercise, trust me)
4) Create in some way (paint, write, sew, etc)

I'm not going to move a mountain in one day, but I can move it by doing a little everyday. I'm excited about this journey to becoming a healthier me and making a pathway for healthy future children.

Silhouette Vase

~ Silhouette Vase ~

I have been work on something that I have called "The Silhouette Project". Basically I have been trying different mediums with the idea that I saw here: 

Silhouette Idea

Project #4 I made a silhouette vase using a wine bottle.

First I printed out this design. 

It is the letter "t" in font Bodoni Ornaments ITC TT.

Then I washed the label off of this wine bottle. 

Peanut butter usually removes labels really well, but we were out so I had to do it the hard way. 

 After cutting out the design I taped it to the front of the bottle.

Next I painted the bottle over the design. I used very short random brush marks that showed. 

This left a texture, but you can also paint it smooth if you like.

Once the paint starts to dry (which should be very quick) peel the paper design off of the bottle. I used a  mechanical pencil to scrap away any paper or paint that got stuck in the design.

Wa-la! 

 Here is a close up of the design.

You could also do this on a plain glass vase, cup, etc. 

We don't really have flowers in the desert this time of year, 

but these weeds demonstrate how it is a vase.