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Go Mighty!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Zap the Bad Things

If you follow me on Twitter, chances are you've seen me mention Go Mighty. From their website, "Go Mighty is a place to outline your goals and dreams, track your progress toward checking them off, and find inspiration to challenge your personal status quo." It's more than a life list, it's a support system. It's pretty darn awesome, and something you will definitely hearing more about in this place.

Now, let's back track a little. What is a life list, exactly? A life list is essentially a more optimistic take on a bucket list. It's a combination of goals, both large an small that you would like to accomplish and experience. It's putting those "one day I should..." or "tomorrow I will..." or "wouldn't it be amazing if..." down on paper. A life list gives your dreams a voice. And by sharing those dreams you'd be surprised how much support you'll find. This isn't a list to beat yourself up over, it's a chance to grow. Maybe a year from now some of those goals will change, priorities will shift, and that's okay! The list is just the beginning.

I've been keeping a life list for at least five years now, and maybe even a little longer. It's been a game changer for me. Putting pen to paper has helped me see where my priorities are, it's helped me do things I never would have thought I was capable of. I very much recommend it. And that brings me to this: Do you have a life list? Are you sharing your stories on Go Mighty? Because I want to see. I want us to be able to inspire each other, to cheer each other on. I want 2013 to be a year of change, of growth, and I want that for you too. I'm tired of my personal status quo, aren't you?

My Go Mighty Profile: Here | Photo is a part of my goal to complete a Project 365.

A Cupcake Adventure

Friday, January 18, 2013

Hot Chocolate Cupcake

Today I want to talk about cupcakes. On New Year’s Day I was craving an adventure spurred on by a post on Retro Bakery’s facebook page. Hot Chocolate Cupcakes. What could sound more perfect on a crisp winter afternoon? All the chocolate and marshmallow goodness of cocoa, but in sumptuous cupcake form. Of course I had to investigate.

Let’s start with the icing. Marshmallow buttercream with actual mini-marshmallow chunks. Smooth and sweet, but not in a cloying way. Just underneath this fluffy top layer rests a small shot of chocolate filling. This is what brought the hot chocolate theme home for me. If the hot cocoa you grew up on as a child had a solid form, this would be it. I appreciate that the filling didn’t overpower the cake, it was just the right amount of sweet nostalgia. The cake itself is a basic, but solid chocolate that stood up to the airy lightness of the rest of the dessert. Delicious.

Verdict: Everything I love about hot cocoa in one delicious cupcake.

This is the special flavor for January so be sure to give them a try before the month is up! It’s worth the drive, especially at only $2.65 each. Of course I couldn’t resist picking up my usual favorites too. The Maple Bacon and Cookies & Cream are always winners in my book. Have you been to Retro Bakery? What’s your go-to flavor?

Maple Bacon Cupcake

Cookies & Cream Cupcake

Small Bites

Monday, January 7, 2013

Small Bites

To keep my sanity I like to break down large projects into small bites. In this case, organization. I’ve started keeping a Life List over on Go Mighty and one of my newly added entries is to get organized. It’s something that creeps on my list year after year. Organize my stuff. Purge my closet of unused items. Get my photos into albums. As I’m nearing 26, though, I’m feeling more self-imposed urgency with this goal. As I slip into my upper-twenties I don’t want to move forward with unwanted baggage. No more books that have gone unread since the age of twelve. Cheap jewelry with broken pieces? They need to go. There’s a quote that I’ve been using as my mantra through this process: If it’s not useful or beautiful to me it does not need to stay with me any longer.

With that decided, it was the next step that had me at a stand still. It’s one thing to say, “This time, I’m going to get organized!” And another thing entirely to follow through with it. Hence, the small bites. My first area to tackle is the hoard of magazines I’ve been keeping around since my tween years. I will not keep full magazines, I do not have the space, instead I will be keeping the pictures and articles that inspire me and turning them into an inspiration book. This means actually sorting through my magazines, which is no small task. To make this a little less daunting I’ve been taking my lunch to sort through a small stack at a time. This gives me a set time limit of about an hour and it leaves me refreshed and inspired to tackle the rest of the afternoon. See, small bites.

Are you undertaking an organization project for the new year? What has been your first step?

Grey Mornings

Friday, January 4, 2013

Grey Morning

Grey mornings are the best mornings. The sort of mornings for curling up in your favorite arm chair with a large cup of tea and a soft blanket. Opening the shutters to let the light filter in before the day is up and running. Perhaps a little music, perhaps not. Bliss.

Happy Friday lovelies! What are you up to for this first weekend of the new year?

I’m still recovering from a back procedure I had on Thursday, but I should be back into the swing of things by Monday with a review of the new cupcake of the month at Retro Bakery. It involves chocolate and it is divine.

A Year of Wonder

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

New Year's Sunrise

I’m sitting at the kitchen table in my pajamas having been woken up suddenly by some unknown force before the sun rose this morning. Every year I vow to watch the sun rise on New Year’s Day, and every year I fail to get up in time so this intrusion to my comfortable slumber was a welcome one.

Caramel Sauce

The start to 2013 has been a slow one, a morning to be savored. My back is to the open window and the natural light is a soothing companion to the rather large cup of chocolate chai tea swirled with last night’s caramel sauce. A little indulgence to greet the new year. The potatoes are ready to go into the oven and the eggs are waiting to be scrambled. And in this moment of in-between it is the perfect chance to ponder and pray over what I want 2013 to be.

This is not going to be a year of resolutions. I have an awful habit of breaking them and then feeling depressed about my lack of follow-through. I already have lists of goals and lists of intentions. Lists of fun things I want to try and lists of potential blog topics. I am nothing if not an obsessive list maker. And while I do intend for this to be a year of crossing off those lists, I want more out of 2013. I want a year of wonder.

Wonder

As I take an honest evaluation of myself, I have become hardened. I don’t know that I would go as far as cynical, but I have misplaced my sparkle. I used to watch the sunrise every morning and marvel. I used to take long walks with the simple purpose of enjoying the beauty around me. I used to take more photos. This year, I want to find that again. I want to make a point to shift my focus back to joy and wonder. To celebrate the beauty of the everyday. To marvel at this beautiful world that God has created.

So, I raise my tea cup to 2013. Cheers to a new year and a renewed focus on finding joy in the simple and savoring the ordinary.

What is it that you want to find in 2013?

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