25 Before 25: Yoga

During Spring Break I accomplished the first thing on my 25 Things to Do Before I Turn 25 List, which is to try Yoga! I have to admit, it was quite a bit different than I thought it would be. I'm a pretty big fitness buff, so I thought it would be a piece of cake. But whoa was I wrong, I'm not as flexible as I thought I was.

But it was a great experience, and I cannot wait to go back. I learned a few things though. It's a fantastic stress reliever because (at least for me) it completely cleared my mind and really got my happy endorphin's flowing. However, it's not a good work out unless you do more advanced versions of Yoga. 

Here is where I took my class, it's in the downtown of my home town and it's a wonderful place with an equally wonderful teacher, Jody. Ground Works Yoga was great and I can't wait to try it again.

I really think everyone should try Yoga at least once in their life. 

Namaste

My First Venture Into Baking.

For the first time ever I baked something from scratch today! One reason I've yet to bake anything from scratch is because my mom is a big believer in box mixes for cakes, cookies, and muffins, canned frosting or when all else fails just order it from Publix! My grandma likes to bake, too bad she's absolutely horrible at it, so I've never really felt the urge to learn from her.

I decided to use up some expiring ingredients in my pantry and this recipe fit the bill! I cut the recipe in half, because it make a lot! I baked it in a 9x9 in brownie pan. There were a couple of problems with the recipe, it used too much flour and next time I would make it in a sheet try, because the cake came out too thick. But it was a fun experiment, and it was fun baking something that didn't come from a box!

This isn't what mine ended up looking like, they weren't as pretty.

Hero Of The Week: Oklahoma Senator Judy Eason McIntyre And Her Rad Sign - The Frisky

Hero Of The Week: Oklahoma Senator Judy Eason McIntyre And Her Rad Sign - The Frisky

I want to give this woman the biggest hug possible!

Happy Heart Day!

Today is Valentine's Day and I hope everyone is having a great holiday! Whether you're having fun being single or in love I hope you're enjoying yourself.

For the first time I haven't really done anything for this day. The only gift I got was a blender from my grandma (yes, it's random, but this is what my grandma does...) and I'm ok with that. As for my parents, I made them two batches of brownies from Ghirardelli box mixes my mom bought ages ago! I made one in a heart shaped pan and the other batch in cupcake tins. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Super Bowl

Well, sadly my beloved Patriots didn't win. BUT I still had a blast watching the Super Bowl, the commercials and after the game, The Voice. Overall, it was a really great night and an end to an awesome season!

I even got a little domestic this weekend! On Saturday I helped my mom make a chocolate and peanut butter pie, which I wasn't a big fan of but it turned out looking great. And I made chocolate covered strawberries that were decorated like footballs. They came out a little sloppy looking, but I'm still really proud of them!

Valentines Day Facts

How to say "I Love You" in other languages:

Spanish: Te Amo

Italian: Ti Amo

French: Je T’aime

Chinese: Wo Ai Ni

Random Facts:

• Many believe the 'X' symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn't write their names signed in front of a witness with an 'X.' The 'X' was then kissed to show their sincerity.
• In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression "to wear your heart on your sleeve."
• The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.
• Approximately one billion Valentines are sent out worldwide each year according to estimates by the U.S. Greeting Card Association. That's second only to Christmas.
• Teachers will receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.
• In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Denmark, and Italy.
• According to the condom company Durex, condom sales are highest around Valentine's Day, which are 20 percent to 30 percent higher than usual.
• More at-home pregnancy tests are sold in March than in any other month.

In a Funk

When I'm in a funk (like I am tonight) music always helps. And lately I've been on a French music kick and this is my favorite song at the moment. You might recognize it from 500 Days of Summer. This is such a beautiful song!

{The Ardent Sparrow}: Weekend Project {Poms}

This is such a beautiful project! I'll be making these for my next party, no matter what the occasion is. 

{The Ardent Sparrow}: Weekend Project {Poms}: via ' A Beautiful Life '

Pro Bowl Game

Which can only mean one thing...

ONE WEEK UNTIL THE SUPER BOWL!

Tonight I'm rooting for the AFC, but next week is all about the Patriots. 

I cannot tell you how excited I am! I'm in the process of planning what food to make, and I'll post those later.

Go Patriots!

A Vegetarian Lifestyle

Not many people know this about me but I was once a vegetarian. I started my senior year of high school and was actually a vegan first, but that was WAY too hard for me to keep up with. So after about 6 months I decided to just be a vegetarian. I don't like admitting this, but my soul reason for becoming a vegan/vegetarian in the first place was to be healthier and lose weight. BUT after doing quite a bit of research about vegetarianism I learned about the other benefits of going meatless. I did a ton of research about animal cruelty and even wrote a thesis paper on the clinical testing of medical and cosmetic products on animals.

I was a vegetarian for 3 years and finally gave it up after my first semester away at college. It was difficult being a vegetarian when I lived at home, before I left for college, because I have a VERY southern family! Every meal was centered around meat with multiple sides drowned in butter. But as hard as it was staying away from meat at home, it was 10 times worse at college. I went to USF in Tampa and at the time it wasn't vegetarian friendly, although recently that has changed.

But lately I've been thinking about going back to being a vegetarian. It really can change your body, in many incredibly positive ways. I really miss the way I felt when I followed a meatless diet, which is my main motivation for switching back to vegetarianism. 

And on top of feeling great, how can I pass up helping animals?