One off the bucket list

I went to visit my parents last night while G. Was at work and it was a gorgeous day.so I thought why not walk outside. So I left my shoes on my parents deck and took a walk in the yard. It must be something about their yard because it felt like all my stress and worries left my body. So off to completing more of my list.

May's bucket list

Today I read a blog and the writer made a list of ten things that she wanted to complete in May. When I was on my run/jog I realized that I wanted to do this. So  here it goes.

1. Try five new recipes
2. Lost 5+ pounds
3. Blog more/get more readers
4. Be happier
5. Stop drinking soda
6. Complete three diy projects
7. Walk barefoot in the grass
8. Hang out with my friends and family more
9. Try 5 new recipes
10. Jog at least every othet day

Here is my first mini bucket list. I will update during May.

I can't believe it has been since August...

Good Afternoon my fellow bloggers   -

So much has happened since August.   I got a promotion at work. I am the Assistant Registrar and am enjoying the extra responsibility.  Greg and I moved into a new apartment and it is amazing. Thanks to the help of our parents we were able to do this in 1 day! Record time... I think!   The kitchen is at least double if not three times the size of our old one.  I have been able to cook some amazing dinners.

I turned another year older, Yikes...27, but I do not feel any different than what I did at 25 or 26.  I do feel that I have matured a little bit more.  The other big thing that happened was Greg and I got married about three weeks ago.  Our wedding was the best day of my life.  We were surrounded by family and friends.  All of the vendors that we used were so nice and I feel like some of them are now family.  Greg and I went up north for a week.  We stayed at a charming Bed in Breakfast in Bellaire Michigan.  We used it as our home base and took daily trips to the cities/towns that surround it. 

Since Greg and I have been married, I have decided that I have to start making better choices.  I am eating better, taking my multivitamin, and my thyroid medicine.  Since I have started doing this I have been feeling better. 
 
The other day, I was taking to a co-worker and something that she said made me think that i want to be more DIY and crafty.  So for the last two days... I have had a more upbeat outlook on things and have been cleaning.  I feel that once I get everything organized that being more crafty will be easier.  I also feel like I am being "nesty".  Greg and I have talked about children and we would like to start a family anytime.  We are letting this happen how and when they happen. 

Pinterest has become a big inspiration.  Greg is excited that I want to start making homemade things and he is very supportive.  I didn't realize that I would feel like so much changed after we got married.  It is all for the good, but I feel much more secure in our relationship.  So I think that I am going to start writing about the crafts and recipes that I try.  I find writing such a release! 

Here are my boards on Pinterest :  http://pinterest.com/osbjoanne/boards/ 


Much Love  - JM

Cucumber Bites

I don't know if I have admitted this before, but I am addicted to www.pinterest.com. I am on the website daily looking for new recipes, wedding inspirations, DIY crafts, and much more. 


I was looking for a new recipe and I found one for cucmber sandwiches minus the bread.  I made these for a pot luck, so I decided to do a vegetarian stuffing.  The thing that I learned about this appetizer is that IT MUST BE SERVED THAT SAME DAY.

What you will need:

Cucumbers... peeled and sliced about two inches thick
1 block of cream cheese.. softened
garlic salt
dried dill weed
minced sweet onion
minced red pepper

I took a teaspoon and scooped out the center of the cucumber slices.  I left a little bit at the bottom to hold in the mixture. 

I mixed together the cream cheese, onions, and red pepper.  I added the garlic salt and  dill to taste.   I then scopped some of the mixture into the cucumber slices. 

Just think off all the possibilities with this recipe! You could use chicken salad, crab salad, tuna fish, or add different stuff to the cream cheese mixture!

Remember- these are better the day of your event.  The cucumbers get soft overnight.

As always- stay safe, love one another, and keep cooking.

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies ..borrowed from Becca

Since, I have changed my diet, I haven't been baking much.  This is normally because when I find a recipe that I do like, I do not have all of the ingredients in my cupboard.  When Becca came over Thursday, I was really excited to learn a new Gluten Free recipe.


Here is her Peanut Butter Cookie recipe.  I believe that she got it from www.allrecipes.com, so thanks to the invidiual on there as well.


2 cups of Peanut Butter( 1 crunchy and 1 smooth)
2 cups of sugar
4 eggs

Mix together all the ingreidents and place scoops of batter on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. 

You can add other nuts and or chocolate chips to the mixture.  Becca and I made chocolate chip designs on our cookies. 


Many people at the pot luck the next day were raving about the cookies.  Maybe Greg will earn back the title of cookie monster again!

As always - Stay safe, love one another, and keep cooking!

Food Allergies

I just have to rant for a second about my allergies.  When I first was diagnosed with all of food allergies, I was happy because I had more knowledge of what was making me feel horrible. 

Normally, we (G. and I ) eat at home and I know the restaurants that have Gluten Friendly options.  It is just really frustrating when you are at a restaurant and you tell them that you are ALLERGIC to iceberg lettuce and then they give you salad made out of iceberg lettuce then garnish your plate with half a head of iceberg lettuce... :(


Oh, the joys of food allergies.  I am working on some new recipes.... I will be posting very soon.

Amazing weekend!

I have shared part of my life with people before, but I have never went real in depth on my blog.  From 1993 to 2004 my parents owned and operated a 11 greenhouses.  My sister and I helped my parents.  While I may not have appreciated it then, I do now.   I feel that with my parents business I gained my work ethic, knowledge about plants, customer service skills, and much more.   I can go to other green houses and tell what a plant is(for the most part) without looking at the tag.

So when Red an Alpha E Active asked me to help her with flower bed in the front of the house, I was ecstatic! We went to Meijer picked up some plants and started around 9:30 am working.  We pulled rocks and garbage out of the soil, added some more soil and nutrients back into the soil, and then used some bricks to edge the flower bed.  Then we planted and transplanted some of the flowers that we in other flower beds. I took out all my stress and aggression on the dirt, but then used my nurturing caring side when I planted the flowers. I had pollen and dirt everywhere and I LOVED it!


I felt like a new calm had taken over and everything was right in the world.  G. noticed this and said "our next home has to have at least one flower bed, because he hasn't seen me this happy".

The four day Holiday weekend is just what I needed.  I did some house work, went to some garage sales, relaxed, played some video games, had dinner with my family, and spent some time with G.   Lately, we have had an amazing time together! This weekend we talked about the future and our "plan" for it!

I have some more recipes coming soon ... I just have to revamp them a little bit!

As always stay strong, love one another, and keep cooking!