My Life is Crazy Right Now...

Hey!!!! So it's been a while since I last posted, huh? Sorry about that.....a lot has been going on! I've finished  my finals and now only have two tests to take to earn credit for the two one-semester classes that I just finished. What have you all been up to?


First of all, I have some very happy news!!! Our friend here, Patricia, who was pregnant, gave birth on Tuesday! It is a little boy named Bruno! I'll post a picture of him when I have one. :D

On Friday, I tried out a new-to-me workout that was on Pinterest! It was an at-home bootcamp that really had some pretty simple exercises. However, it was set up in such a way that it was really tough and a great, quick workout! For me, the hardest part was definitely the 90 seconds of pushups...I felt like death afterwards! In a good way though...haha. Anyway, here it is:

If anyone tries this out, or has any links to another good at home bootcamp, please share! :D 

So, in baking, I have learned an important lesson. Heavy cream makes everything better. Cream scones, cream sauce and now, cream muffins. I realize that it isn't the healthiest ingredient around, but I figure that since we, as a family, usually eat pretty healthily, indulging every once in a while is perfectly all right. Plus, there's mango in these, so that counts for something, right? :D 

Mango Cream Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (or milk, for "lighter" muffins)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 mangoes, peeled and diced

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
2. In another, medium sized bowl, combine the sugar, melted butter, cream, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the liquid ingredients and the diced mango to the dry ingredients, stir only until just combined. 
3. Fill 12 greased muffin tins with the batter. If you want, sprinkle some sugar on the top of each muffin for some "crunch" and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Before I go, I have a couple of questions for ya'll!

What's your go-to at home workout?
I really liked the bootcamp that I just did, Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred and Turbo Fire HIIT workouts.

What are your Christmas plans?
Not that I know of....we're having a ministry get-together next Wednesday, but I don't think we have much planned for Christmas day.

Well, of to take some (more) tests!!

See ya'll later!

Wrapping Up

Morning!!! :D Thanks for the feedback on my last post....I'll definitely have a Vlog up soon!

To me, it feels like this year has absolutely flown by.....I only have a week and a half left of school in this semester!!!! Of course, this week and next will probably be a little hectic school-wise for me, trying to get everything done, but that will only make the time go by even faster! I'm really looking forward to the holidays and spending time with my family! I don't know what all we're going to do over Christmas break, but am definitely excited about it! :D Do you have any Christmas plans yet? 

For Christmas, I want to try to make something for our friends and coworkers here. I've decided to bake a bunch of Christmas-y stuff and give little "goodie bags" to everyone. Last night I tried out a caramel corn recipe to see if it was good enough to give out.......and it is halfway gone, so I'm thinking that it was. I used this recipe and the only complaint that I have is that I felt like I didn't have enough caramel to cover all of the popcorn.......so next time I'll make a little bit more and that should solve my problem! So, when it is closer to Christmas, I'll make a batch of that, and I think some of the thin mints that I made last year. Other than that, this is my first real "holiday baking" experience, so I have absolutely no idea what to make......

What are your favorite things to bake during the Christmas holidays? 

In a completely different topic, I just want to quickly share a type of workout that I'm definitely planning on doing over the holidays. Since my entire family will actually be together most of the time, I don't want to spend too long working out every day and missing out on family stuff.  High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is considered to be one of the most effective quick workouts. A typical HIIT workout lasts anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, depending on  the intensity of the interval. There are also many different types of HIIT intervals, like Tabata (20 seconds all-out, 10 seconds rest), 30-sec intervals and 60-sec intervals. 

Here's some more info on HIIT: 

“HIIT is a training idea in which low to moderate intensity intervals are alternated with high intensity intervals.

HIIT can be applied to running or to exercises such as squatting. HIIT is considered to be much more effective than normal cardio because the intensity is higher and you are able to increase both your aerobic and anaerobic endurance while burning more fat than ever before.

"In research, HIIT has been shown to burn adipose tissue more effectively than low-intensity exercise - up to 50% more efficiently." It has also been shown to speed up your metabolism which helps you burn more calories throughout the day. 

HIIT will accomplish two goals: it will help accelerate fat loss and improve aerobic and anaerobic endurance. HIIT will most likely produce very fast results in a short period of time which is why it has been gaining popularity ever since it was introduced to the bodybuilding community.

Nobody can promise any specific results but it is feasible that after an 8-week cycle of HIIT combined with weight training, you and those around you will be able to notice a significant change to your body. Athletes will be able to perform better in their given sport and will outperform others toward the end of games when everyone else is getting tired. 

Scientific literature suggests that HIIT is much more effective than regular cardio for accomplishing both of the goals stated earlier. "The reason that High Intensity Interval Training works better [than normal cardio] for fat loss is this: When you do a cardio session at the same pace the whole time, your body goes into what is called steady state. This means that your body has adjusted itself to the speed you are going and tries hard to conserve energy (calories). You will be able to avoid this and burn more calories and FAT by doing the interval training." (Source: http://davedraper.com/hiit-cardio-training.html).”

source

A 20 minute workout that is as effective as a longer, steady state workout? Count me in. :D Also, if anyone out there is looking for tips on how to stay healthy over the holidays, check out Erin's new series here! 

Do you like HIIT workouts?

I've been doing the TurboFire HIIT workouts and have loved them!!! :D I also do the 30 day shred, which isn't HIIT, but another great short workout! 

Well, that's about it for today....see ya'll later! 

Back to School

I know its been a couple of days since my last "normal" post....we've been uber-busy since we're heading back to Brazil a week from tomorrow. So we've been packing and visiting with people and all that good stuff. I'm gonna miss everyone here a lot, but I'm not going to miss the cold weather!!!! Helloooo summertime!

     Guess what? I'm starting school tomorrow....two new classes...ugh. At least I'll have something to do besides spend the entire day reading blogs. Which I haveno problem at all with doing. But still, school is kind of important too. =D

   Well, the past couple of days have been pretty hectic, like I said before. We've gone back to the friend's house where we celebrated New Year's, had lunch with some church friends, and had dinner at the house of more church friends. Oh and a friend of ours who's been on mission teams to Brazil came by to see us yesterday afternoon. I'm not exactly the most social of people, so visiting day in and day out isn't exactly my thing, but this is our last chance to see some of these people for three years. And next time, I might not even get to see them, since I'll be heading off to college pretty soon after we arrive. So its pretty important to see everyone now.

How was your weekend? Anything major happen?

Have a happy Monday!!!!  =P

2011.

This is gonna be a super quick post!

I wanted to wish you all a very happy New Year!!!!!



What are your goals for this coming year?

Hope you have an amazing start to the year 2011!

New Year...New Haircut

Ok so the haircut isn't exactly new........same inverted bob that I got last time...not too short, but not to long. But my hair grows super fast, and after about 2 weeks, my bangs quit looking like bangs and start looking like a misplaced hunk of hair. Any ideas on how to make growing-out bangs cuter?

So last night was super fun!!!! They are the nicest people and we had the best food ever!!!!!! Steak w/ potatoes, roasted veggies (even roasted pumpkin!!), rice, shrimp and salad!!!! Sooo tasty! Seriously, if any of ya'll ever happen to be in Recife, I can cook for you. Or just take you to all these awesome restaurants. Or both.=D Its probably a good thing that I exercise, because I pretty much love food.

So I have another question to ask. Anyone have a good english muffin recipe? We don't get them in Brazil and I looove 'em. I am actually eating one as I type this. Soo doughy and good. And goes well with oatmeal. Because oats clearly don't have enough carbs.

I absolutely cannot believe that today is the last day of 2010!!! Can you? This entire year has gone by so incredibly fast. Personally, it's been a year of both trials and of spiritual and emotional growth. Even though we've definitely fought about my eating disorder, my mom in particular always told me when I needed to eat more and she always listened to me, even Iif I wasn't making much sense. Even her Christmas gift of nike tempos, a pedometer, and some other fitness gear shows her support of my running. I am actually planning on really working on running during 2011. I would really like to be able to run a half-marathon without feeling like I'm about to die afterwards. I also want to learn to love myself and to accept myself at any weight.

What are your goals for 2011?

On that note, I must leave to go do my hair.......

Happy New Year!

A Cold, Snowy Day

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!!!!!!! We went to church at 11:30 on Christmas eve, and the service was awesome!!!!!!!!!!! Jesus is the true reason for the season!!!!

So its snowing right now, and I'm absolutely freezing!!!! I'm already small, and I get cold really easily, so now I feel like a popsicle!!!! I have a pedometer/pulse thing and my fingers are so cold that it doesn't even register a pulse for me. So basically, according to my pedometer, I'm either dead or a vampire! =D

Today's my birthday party, too!!!!! I'm going to a hotel with a couple of close friends and we're going to watch movies and have fondue!! I bought slippers as a party favor! =D Its going to be a lot of fun!!!!!!!!!! I bought pretzels, apples, bananas, pineapple, and marshmellows to dunk in the chocolate. We actually have 3 different "recipes" for fondue, so if one doesn't work, we have a backup. The first is evaporated milk, cocoa and sugar, the second is just some melted chocolate bark, and the last is chocolate chips that will be melted in something or another....maybe some evaporated milk or something! =D Anyway, I'm super excited!!!!!!!

So what did ya'll do on Christmas?????

I haven't been blogging for very long, but I already love it!!!! I just want to thank everyone who reads this blog!!!!! =D

Hope you have a good rest of the day!!!!

Happy Christmas Eve!

Well, all of my family's plans for yesterday basically went out the window. My aunt is feeling really sick, so we didn't go to my dad's side's house for taco night. But, we did pick up my beeeeest friend and had an awesome afternoon and went to her house for our Christmas celebration there. And we had mexican, which I sort of think is funny.

So yesterday my friend asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I jokingly said "world peace". So then we went window shopping and tried on sone stuff, and later we went to Gracie Bleu's frozen yogurt. It was our first time there, but it was like a self serve froyo place, and the guy working there gave us a TON of those little ketchup containers so that we could taste all the different flavors. Their setup was pretty cool, with about 4 stations with 2 separate flavors and 1 mixture of the two each. For example, there was a strawberry froyo and a birthday cake flavor, and the mixture was strawberry shortcake. Then there were tons of toppings and stuff to choose from. While we were sitting, my friend handed me a box with a bracelet inside. She then said that when we went into one of the stores that we visited, there were "world peace bracelets" at the front door for sale. So guess what I am now wearing? I got world peace for my birthday! =D

World peace! =D

So today, we're hanging out for most of the day and tonight we have church, which will be nice!!!!!

So, recently I've been thinking about going vegetarian. However, my family is pretty much worried that I won't get enough key nutrients. Because of this, I've decided to pick one day a week to be a vegetarian to sort of show everyone that I would be able to eat a balanced diet. I'm thinking that the day might be today, but I still have to actually talk with my parents. And once or twice a week vegetarianism might be all I can do for now, I want to see how it works out for me personally, though.

Well, what are your Christmas/Christmas eve plans?

Happy Christmas Eve!!!!

Taco Night!!!!

You know how on Sunday I said that my dad was singing a song in church???? Well, a couple of years ago he recorded it and yesterday made a video of "Mary did You Know?". Its not a video of him singing, but here it is anyway:



Yes, I like bragging about my family! =D

Well, tonight we are going to my dad's side of the family's Christmas and we're having tacos. You know, because they are so Christmas-y. But anyway, its going to be fun!!!! =D

So what go ya'll do for Christmas? Do you go to families' houses before or on Christmas?

Usually, our families have Christmas celebrations before the actual day, and then we also visit some close friends of ours. Then, on Christmas eve, if we're in the States, we go to an 11:30 PM service at our church. Then, we spend most of Christmas at home, together.

What is your favorite Christmas tradition that your family has?

I love goig to the 11:30 service and I love that we spend time just as a family on Christmas day.

So, I'm gonna workout to a new video today, so you know what that means....here's the link:

Fighting the Freshman 15 (silly name, but the workout got lots of great reviews, so I'm trying it out):

http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/cardio/fighting-the-freshman-15-9493

Along with this workout, which is about 20 minutes long, I'm going to do the 10-minute Bootcamp workout that I've already put on my Workout page. Then maybe some yoga to cool down, and if I end up doing that, I'll post the link tomorrow!!!! =D

Is there another website besides ExerciseTV that has good free workout videos? I don't have many DVDs, plus the online vids are good for when I'm on the road. =D

So I'm off to workout and later eat tacos! Whoo!

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Birthday Coupon

I had signed up for the "DeliGrams" McAlister's email thing a while back in hopes of getting a coupon at the time. Well, yesterday, I checked my email and there was one from McAlister's. I got $5 off our next meal there!!So guess where we had dinner last night???????? Hello, Chicken Tortilla Soup! =D Oh and because I had signed up for the On The Border email club back when we took my sister there, also hoping to get a coupon then, I also have a free brownie sundae from there!

    So yesterday we visited with my grandmother. She's out of the hospital now and doing better! We had a fun time!

    Today my sister and I are going to our church to work on a video thing that the youth leader is shooting. We're going to be filming separately, and each video will take 30 minutes to an hour. So we'll be at the church from 1 to 3, more or less. I don't know what the videos are about yet, but when I do, I'll let you know.

    I really haven't been able to bake even half as much as I wanted to. And now, there are even more recipes that I have bookmarked! I guess that's the way it works when you don't actually have any money and a lot of your recipes call for special ingredients that your parents have never heard of. Oh well. I'll probably still bake a little bit. =P

 =D

    Oh guess what? I made Erika's Single Lady Sugar Cookie, inspired by Katie's recipe, for my sister!!! Actually, I've made both versions for her! =D Of course, I always come up with the idea to make one right after I've had a snack, but that doesn't mean that a few bites trip and fall into my mouth. Stupid cookie. =D Anyway, I've actually made these in the microwave, and they turned out pretty good. I just combined all of the ingredients and nuked for about a minute. That, my friends, is the lazy version of this cookie, because I didn't feel like turning the oven on. Oh and in the chocolate chip one, I added some melted pb in place of about 1/3 of the oil, and it turned out really tasty!!!!

Well, that's about all I've got for now!

Christmas is Near!

I just can't believe that Christmas is Saturday!!!! Still in shock, here. =D Saturday at 11:30 my church does a midnight service, and I think we'll be going to that. It is soo awesome!!! And then, on Christmas morning, I have a special surprise planned for my family! (Can't say what it is yet for fear that someone will read....but I'm soo excited!)

Last night we visited with some friends, and guess what? We ended up making those holiday pretzels again! Thanks for the recipe Julie! We love it! =P

Last night I also borrowed a book from my friend, "A Walk to Remember" by Nicolas Sparks. Have any of ya'll ever read it???? I've seen the movie, which I loved, and am super excited to read the book!

So next Tuesday is my birthday and next Sunday is my party. My best friend, her mom, my mom, and I will go to a nice hotel nearby and watch girly movies, eat plenty of chocolate...that sort of thing. One thing I can't decide on is what I want for my dessert: fondue or chocolate cobbler???? Both sound sooo yummy!!! I might have to do one for the party and one on my actual birthday. Hmmmm....which sounds better to ya'll?? Does anyone have a tried and true fondue recipe? =D

I am finally going to be done with school today......and I'm super glad about that!! =D  All that I have to do is write an essay about the 3 key things that I learned from taking my SAT prep course.

1. Never, ever take a prep course again.

2. I learned not to reccommend the SAT prep to anyone.

3. I hate taking long tests.

Sorry about the negative list....my teacher apparently couldn't come up with a final, so he basically lumped together all of the work I've done this semester into 7 parts and called it a test. Section 2 had me online taking 25 practice tests which basically took up my whole day from 11 AM to 4 PM. Exactly what I wanted to do during my Christmas break. Oh well, at least it will be done and over with....

A couple more random questions for ya'll:

What is your favorite Christmas movie?

I really have no idea....we just watched The Family Man and that was cute, but I don't know if I have an all-time favorite. =P

What are some of your family's Christmastime traditions?

  Well, we usually spend Christmas day at home. My sister and I get an ornament every year. Whenever we're in the States we go to the 11:30 Christmas eve service.

Well, I have to go write an essay...

Happy Monday! =P

Holiday Pretzels and Going to Church

Last night was a looot of fun!!!! I'm so glad that I got to see a few people who I hadn't seen for at least six years. I made those holiday pretzels with the chocolate wafer candy and m&ms. Sooo yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There was a TON of food there!! 3 different types of cookies, the pretzels, a ding-dong cake, ham and turkey, veggies, sausage crescent roll baked thing, bisque, and some other stuff that I can't even remember. Notice that I mentioned the desserts first and the actual food last. =D Of course, at one point, I managed to choose the mountain dew can that sprung a leak as soon as I opened it....niiiiiice. I don't usually drink soft drinks and now maybe I never will again! =D

All of the snow is gone, and in my opinion, that's a good thing! It is still freezing outside, though. Can't wait for the warm weather!!!!!!!!! =D

Today my dad's going to sing a song called Mary Did You Know at church. Its such a gorgeous song!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot believe that Christmas is next week already!!!!!!!! This year has absolutely blown by!!!!! Anyway, here's a video of someone singing that song.



So today, I have to write an essay for the last of those tests and I will finally be done with school!!!!! Yipeeeee! =D

So glad ya'll liked the guest post!!!!

I have to get going....

Happy Sunday!!!!!

Cookin' and Workin' Out

Morning everyone!! Thanks for all your fun comments about being short! I loved reading them!!!!

So I'm going to do some new workouts this morning, and the 10 minut bootcamp that's on my workout page already.

Here are the links to the new vids:

Cardio Sculpting:

http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/cardio/cardio-sculpting-7197

Cardio Core:

http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/cardio/cardio-core-5621

As ya'll can probably see, my workout is going to be a little more cardio than usual, but I think that both of these videos incorporate strength training, which is good. Especially the Cardio Sculpting one. I read the reviews and apparently I've got a lot of squats and lunges in my near future. I'll tell ya'll how it went tomorrow!

Seeing as today is a workout day, I have an exercise-related question for ya'll: What do you eat before and after a workout?

Personally, I always workout in the mornings, but I don't like working out on an empty stomach. So I'll have a filling but lighter breakfast, like today I had instant grits (butter flavor), orange juice and coffee with 1 scoop of Aria protein powder. Afterwards, I'll have a nice sized snack, usually something with plenty of protein. But I want ya'll's opinions on the matter! =D

I cooked last niiiight (with my mom!)!!! We made turkey burgers, with baked fries, and steam-in-the bag veggies in cheese sauce. Doesn't sound like a whole lot of food, but believe me, it was filling!!! We had never made turkey burgers before, but I had read that they need extra seasoning, so we used pepper, seasoning salt, and diced onions in the patties to add flavor to them. They turned out delicious!!!!!  Later, I also tried my new favorite yogurt (besides greek yogurt!). It was the Archer Farms Honey Almond Yogurt, and it was really tasty. I was surprised that the ingredient list was relatively short as well, and had actual honey listed.

Here's where I bought it! =D

Well, I did take one of the tests that I had yesterday, and will take the other one today and tomorrow, and then I'll be done with school! =D

Have a wonderful Thursday!!!!

Disappearing Act

Happy Saturday!!!!

Well, apparently I fell off the face of the earth yesterday....sorry about that! =D

We ended up leaving Texarkana at like 3:40 and arriving home at 8:30. We were all kinda tired...I did originally mean to post yesterday, but I guess I fell asleep before I got the chance to do so.

Anyway, we had an awesome time visiting our family!!!! It had been 3 years since we had seen them last. My aunt, who is a personal trainer, gave me some study material that she said she doesn't need anymore, and told me about some programs that I can already get a cert to teach. Even Beachbody has a program, BodyGospel, that if I buy and learn all of the DVDs, I am automatically certified to teach. So that is pretty cool!!!!

We also played board games like Apples to Apples and Boggle! I looove both of them. Apples to Apples is sooo funny when there are more people playing it, that we ended up playing the game twice! =D All in all, we had a good time, and I'm glad that we had the opportunity to visit some more of our family!

Today, I do have a couple of tests left over from last week, because it stinks to take a test while visiting. So, I'm probably going to study a lot and take most of them today, so that the Christmas baking extravaganza will begin!!!! Are any of ya'll beginning to bake for the holidays? If so, what has been your favorite thing that you made so far?

Thanks for all of the positive feedback on my last post! It is a subject that I care a lot about, and probably one that will come up again in the future....but if I ever begin to ramble on about anything ya'll feel free to tell me exactly that! =D

Well, I guess I had better go....

Have a great weekend!!!!

On the Road to Texarkana and a more Serious Topic

Hey ya'll!!!!!

I'm headed to meet up with my aunt, uncle, and cousin in Texarkana (the Texas side)! Haven't seen them in forever, so I'm really looking forward to it!!!!

Oh, my mom's friend went home yesterday!!! She is still healing, but is doing better! =D

So anyway, I've got 5 hours in the car to look forward to. Mom says I should take tests to study for, so I'm now trying to come up with something else that is productive but doesn't involve tests!!!! =D Hmmm...any ideas????

I have absolutely no inspiration for this post......guess I needed more sleep! =P So I hope you all don't mind ramblings on nothingness.....because you may just get that! =D

You know what? I'm gonna write about something serious. Because that's what you do when your tired, obviously. Sleepiness is the state in which your best thinking is done! =D

Anyway, I want to address today's society's relationship with food. There are really two sides to it. On one hand, you have people who turn to food for everything, and on the other, you have those who avoid it like the plague. Then, there are those who insist that you must live according to a certain diet plan, and if you don't, well then, you are wrong and completely unhealthy. Something that I have learned so far in my journey to well-being is that everyone is different and functions better on different diets. Personally, I feel my best when I eat most of my carbs in the morning, and my percentages look about like 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fats. But there are some who feel better on a low-carb, high-protein diet, or a high-fat diet, among others. Some can adopt a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, while others may feel sluggish without a source of animal protein. It is all very relative, and in my opinion, it is wrong to try to force a certain "diet" on others.

As for the disordered relationships with food, I believe that both overeating and anorexia are a growing part of the struggles that we deal with in society. People either turn to food for comfort, or take comfort in the fact that they can resist it. Extreme behavior in either direction is extremely unhealthy and hurts not only the one person, but also their friends and family. I speak from experience. I think that all of what I have talked about has made me develop a true passion for living what really is a healthy lifestyle, and to teach others how to do so. I believe that everyone has different nutritional needs, and also that if you want that brownie or ice cream cone, go for it! Life is too short to cut out stuff you love!!!!!

For more on nutritional relativism, check out this post:

http://theflourishingfoodie.wordpress.com/2010/12/05/nutritional-relativism-chocolate-chip-cookies-and-guest-posts/

Sorry about the uber-long post, I guess being tired really does result in deeper thinking. =D

What are your opinions on this topic? Agree or disagree??? Please comment below!

On a lighter note, this weekend commences the Healthy Chocoholic Christmas baking extravaganza!!!! Whoooo!

Stay happy!!

 

Thanksgiving Day Cold

Yep, I have a cold. I'm not going to spend the entire post whining about it, just wanted tosay just how much it stinks having a cold on Thanksgiving. Or pretty much any time of the year. All I really want is a huge, hot bowl of soup, but we're having a Thanksgiving feast with all the fixin's. Oh well, life could definitely be worse, don't you think?

Anyway, the reason this post is so early is that I still have my workout(yes, I'm working out on Thanksgiving) and I'm cooking that wild rice dish. We're leaving here at about 10 to go to my grandmother's, which is about an hour away. At least I don't have to do any school!!!!!!!!!!  Because school on Thanksgiving would really stink.

What are ya'lls Thanksgiving plans????

Soo, today I'm doing that same cardio routine from Tuesday, but a different strength training one.

So here's the link to that one:

http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/body-sculpting/10-10-10-beginner-fat-burner-formula-2346

Its called 10-10-10, which I have yet to discover the meaning of.......but I'm hoping its a good workout, I'll let you know.

Oh guess what? We're not leaving tomorrow to go on our trip to visit family, we're leaving tonight! We've booked a hotel about 6 hours away from here, and tomorrow we'll have about 6 more hours to go.

So, as you can see, the HC family has a lot going on. I'll try to pre-write some posts, but if there is a day that I don't post anything, know that I haven't forgotten about the blog, I'm just spending time with my family. And freezing. But I will try to keep up as much as possible, plus we'll be back on Tuesday, so its not a terribly long trip.

Well, I really have to get movin'

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! I'm so thankful for ya'll!!!!

Special Member of the HC Family

Good morning, everyone!!!!!!!!!! Happy Wednesday!! Can you believe that tomorrow's Thanksgiving? I know I can't! This home ministry assignment has flown by! (I don't know if I've said this, but we're missionaries in South America, but we're in the States until Jan.)

I'd just like to thank everyone who visited the blog yesterday! Seeing the number of visits literally made my day (again)!

So has anyone here ever been to Gigi's cupcakes? They're absolutely wonderful, and have tons of fun cupcake flavors. There are flavors of the day and seasonal flavors also. So far, my family has bought Midnight Magic Chocolate Chip, Wedding Cake, Peanut Butter Cup, Banana Cream Pie, Hunka Chunka Banana Love, Miss Princess, Raspberry (flavor of the day), and Blueberry (flavor of the day). And we still have a buy 3, get 1 free. These cupcakes cost like $3, but there is soo much frosting that we usually just quarter them and eat off of them for days. My personal favorites have been Peanut Butter Cup in first place and Midnight Magic Chocolate Chip, which is basicaly dark chocolate cake with chocolate chips baked in, topped with chocolate buttercream and more chocolate chips. Yum. Seriously though, I'd kill for the recipe for peanut butter buttercream that was used on the pb cup cupcake. It was fabulous!

Its looking like today is going to be a pretty quiet day. I am going to do extra school, both because tomorrow is Thanksgiving and because we're going out of town Friday. This is the reason that I've been blogging earlier in the morning: I can take my time and write a post without feeling rushed, and I have something to do besides school when I'm the only one awake. So you all get to read my half-awake ramblings. Lucky, aren't ya? Well, at least I don't blog after my Algebra II lesson, you'd be getting grumpy, sarcastic posts instead of just the sarcastic ones.

Oh, I would like to introduce ya'll to a veery special member of my family:

the HC cat!!!!!



the HC cat

 Cute isn't he? Although not necessarily healthy, he is in fact a chocoholic! He prefers ganache over milk! Of course, he also likes peanuts and lunchmeat better than cheese, which just makes him plain weird. He's about 2 years old and weighs 12-15 pounds, I think.

Do any of ya'll have pets? If so, could you tell us a little more about them?

Oh! Whaddya think of the new header? Keep it or leave it?

Well, that's about all I've got for now.......

See ya!

Big. Day.

Good morning everyone!

I'm up and about early today (which I usually am), but instead of just sitting on the couch reading other people's blogs, I have to go ahead and get started on school.  This is because tomorrow is dad's birthday, so naturally we began celebrating it yesterday by bringing him some baklava, which he loves. Anyway, on today's agenda is lunch at a restaurant called Texas de Brazil. Its a steakhouse where they bring the meat around to your table and you pick which cuts you want to eat. So, I have to do more school in the morning so that I don't come back from lunch with TONS of work.

In completely unrelated news, I might actually be cooking something for Thanksgiving. A wild rice "stuffing". I've never made it before, and it looks pretty good. Here's the recipe:

Wild Rice Stuffing

• 1/4 C Wild rice


• 1 3/4 C Water


• 1/4 C Brown Rice


• 1 tsp Chicken Bouillon


• 2 C sliced mushrooms


• 1/2 cup sliced celery


• 3 sliced green onions

Rinse wild rice in cold water for about a minute. Combine wild rice, brown rice, water, and bouillon in a medium saucepan. Bring to boiling, reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 20 minutes. Add mushrooms, celery, and onions. Cover, cook over medium-low heat for 25 minutes, stirring frequently.

Here's what it might look like (minus the carrots):

 Yummy. 

Also I've recently come across an AMAZING looking dessert recipe at How Sweet it is. Anyway, its a Chocolate Cobbler, and here's the link: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2010/08/03/chocolate-cobbler/.

Anyone who visits that site should know that there are TONS of awesome looking baked goods on there and that you WILL bookmark several recipes. At least I did.

Question time!!!

Are you cooking something for Thanksgiving that you're excited about? If so, please share!!!!

Also, I exercise  and believe its a major part of a healthy chocoholic lifestyle. However,it is harder to exercise during the holidays, because its cold, and you're visiting with friends and family. What are your holiday exercise plans????

Please comment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sooo looking forward to reading your answers.

Well, gotta run!

See ya'll later!!!!

EDIT: Maybe I shouldn't be allowed to blog in the morning. After publishing this post, I found like 5 spelling mistakes. Whoops. Going to go study basic grammar now.