Weekend Update| January 23, 2012

Happy Monday! I don't know why, but against all odds I am extremely happy and energetic this morning. Yup, I'm the "looks like somebody's got a case of the Mondays" girl. I just can't wait to find someone to say that to. It feels good to be her every now and then!

John was out of town last week and he came back on Friday night. I enjoyed sleeping in on Saturday and then heading out to do some shopping at Whole Foods and our local produce market. When we got back to the house I made granola protein bars (recipe to come this week) and then took a nice nap.

Protein bar preview!

After my nap I went for a 1.5 mile run. I'm really excited that our training for the 5k in February is starting to take us past the 1 mile marker on a consistent basis. I think I'll finally start to see my endurance build. Today we have another 1.5 miler and then by the end of the week we are pushing up to 2 miles! I've never run that long on my own accord without being in a race. :)

Saturday night I made a really yummy new recipe that I found on the Whole Foods recipe page. I'll also be sharing that this week. So get ready for some awesome new recipes to put on your to-do list. They are called Grilled Veggie Pitas, but I made it with a twist. Here's a teaser....

Sunday morning we got up and ate breakfast, put on our outdoor gear and headed out for some kayaking on the lake. What a beautiful morning! The birds were chirping and water was still. Look you can see my reflection...

We had a blast, and I would love to make this a weekly thing. Not only is it a great upper body workout, but it's so nice to slow down and glide across the water and notice the little things that are so easily missed in nature otherwise.

It was a great weekend, and something tells me that this week is going to be equally magnificent!

Question of the Day:

What is your favorite outdoor activity?

Homemade White Pizza

This recipe is not my own, it is actually my mother's. She taught me how to make it this past weekend and it's one of my new favorites. Who knew that pizza, sans sauce, could be so delightful? The flavors of the vegetables really shine when not overpowered by a red sauce and the pizza feels so much lighter too (which means you can eat more!!)

Over Christmas, my mom taught my little neice how to make it too. It's a simple recipe to make with kiddos and is a great way to have fun and teach nutrition! Here's little Juliana adding her own special ingredients. ; )

Homemade White Pizza
Serves 3-4

1 ball pizza dough (homemade or store bought and risen and tossed according to directions)
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Italian seasoning
2 handfuls spinach, washed and torn
1 large tomato sliced (or 3-4 roma tomatoes)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
Freshly grated parmesan
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Freshly shredded mozzerella
Corn Meal

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle a baking stone generously with corn meal.

2. Toss dough, and lay out over stone. Coat dough with olive oil and sprinkle with seasonings and a little fresh Parmesan.

3. Top with spinach, tomato, and mushrooms. And cover with a generous dose of each- Parmesan, feta, and mozzerella cheese.

4. Place in center rack of oven and cook for 18-20 minutes. When done, lit sit on the counter for 5 minutes while the stone continues to warm and the juices settle.

ENJOY!

Question of the Day:

What's your favorite (Papa John's, Domino's, Pizza Hut, or Homemade) and why?

4.

Weekend Update| January 18, 2012

Good morning all! This is one of those "you know your life is a little crazy when..." moments. Posting a weekend update on a Wednesday?? Unfortunately that has become the habit for me lately. But I figure pictures are pictures and you can share them anytime you want...especially if it's your blog and you can do what you want with it. :)

Saturday morning I woke up with my panties in a wad. I mean, the really bad side of the bed. I don't really get mean when I'm in a bad mood. Meanness is usually associated with hunger for me. Nope, a bad mood means I'm careless and unemotional...I'm as cuddly as an ice cube. John knew I was having a bad day and made me pancakes. And then told me to close my eyes for the best surprise of my life....

Yup, that about turned my day back around. Seriously, isn't he the sweetest man you've ever read about?

Around lunch time my mom and step-dad came up from Vero Beach to help me get ready for a bridal shower I was throwing for one of my best friends. One of our projects were making little marshmallow pops for the hot chocolate bar I put together for the shower. Aren't they cute?

Sunday morning we lounged around the house and did some cooking and preparing for the afternoon shower. My mom made this spectacular white pizza....recipe to follow this week. Aren't I such a tease? It was so good!

The afternoon was delightful and the bridal shower went off without a hitch. I can't wait to share my post on the shower and all th creative things we came up with! We had a blast putting it together. This little lady deserved all of it and so much more...

Question of the Day:

What shower has been your favorite and what made it special?



Winter Break Update

Good morning!

How are you? Man, it feels like I have been out of town forever. I miss you all and thought about you often. I really did, that's not just something to say. I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years!

As you read in my prior post, Christmas was wonderful. We enjoyed our time together so much and it's amazing how fast those kids are growing up. Well, amazing isn't the right word...scary is.

Here's some more pictures from our time in Virginia...

John and the kids AND our friend Xiaoxin playing Apples to Apples. We met Xiaoxin 3 years ago in Orlando when she was studying there and came to an international student event. We became great friends and hung out weekly for 1.5 years. Then she moved....to the same town our family moved to! Imagine our luck. We love you Xiaoxin!

We also did a 2.8 mile hike to White Rock Falls off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Wonderful to connect with nature and get our workout on!

John and the kids conquering a rock!

Oh the joy of a child...

And the joy of love... :)

See? I told you we had a great time! We got back into town last Saturday and rang in the new year with our friends Caitlin and Ben and their cats Boomer and Dip. I didn't get any pictures of the night...argh! Since then I've been at home, sick with a cold and laryngitis. Not a cool way to end my vacation. But, I am happy that it has caused me to slow down today at home long enough to write an update here and reconnect with you all.

Question of the Day: 

How are YOU? Tell me all about it...what was the highlight of your holiday?

O Christmas Tree

I'm delighted to share with you our 2nd annual Christmas tree lighting! John and I both grew up with fake trees and now that we are big kids and can make our own Christmas tree decisions we've started buying them fresh. Just a few extra dollars, but a whole lot of difference it makes! We love walking into the house and smelling the evergreen, and getting wafts of it up the stairs when we wake up in the morning.

It's a very smelly douglass fir!

We have ornaments from our childhood all packed around it. I have ones that family friends handmade me when I was just a baby, ones from my travels, and the ones given to me as a gift every Christmas growing up. John has some of the same, but also some special ones from his mom who passed away when he was just nine years old. Those are the most special ones on our tree! They are all teacher themed as she taught elementary school when she was living.

We love going through all our ornaments and retelling the same old stories we told the year before. It helps us remember all the great people in our lives, the people who got us to wear we are, and the memories we'll be able to tell in the future as we grow older and older together as a couple.

Question of the Day:

What's your most special Christmas tree ornament?

My favorite is a beautiful cherub ornament that my grandpa bought for my mother one year when we traveled to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. It's one of the only things I have related to him, and he passed away on my 9th birthday. 

Weekend Update| December 5, 2011

Good morning everyone! Did you have a fabulous weekend? We sure did! My mom and step-dad came up for a visit and we had such a great time. The weather couldn't have been better for the activities we had planned, either. The mornings were really cool but by mid-day the sun was out and we were enjoying temperatures in the mid 70's!

They drove in Friday night and we enjoyed some dinner I had prepared. We played a couple rounds of rummy and I was destroyed at the last minute by David (step-dad). That hurt as I have been the reigning champ in our house lately. John was overjoyed at my loss. ;)

Saturday morning we got up and ran around the neighborhood together. We are all running a 5k in Melbourne (FL) in February, so it was fun to do a little training together. My family is fast! They've got quite a few years on me and still managed 12 minute miles! I discovered that I run much faster on land than on the "dreadmill", is that the same for you?

After the run we made breakfast and packed up a picnic for our day out. My parents just got a new D-SLR so we took them out to Lake Eola to practice shooting with it. They got some really great shots! Everyone and their brother was out at the lake, putting up Christmas decorations and running around the trail. Above is a picture John took of my mom and I. Below is a picture that my mom took of us. She's getting the hang of it!

 I think she really captured our love... :)

Our next stop was going to be Whole Foods for a little stocking up on the grain wall. (My parents don't have a Whole Foods in their town, so it's a ritual when they come up.) We made one last stop at the ice cream truck before we left the lake, but came away empty handed as the ice cream was way over-priced and wouldn't have done our tummies any good...we all have the same whole foods, mostly veg diet. Nonetheless, we were sad about our loss...

David had quite the smile though, he must have looked into the future to see what would happen when we went to Whole Foods. We came away with two ah-mazing smoothies! They got a PB&J fruit smoothie (almond milk, berries, peanut butter, bananas, etc.) and we got the Kalicious smoothie (kale, spinach, bananas, apple juice, lemons). Our smoothie was so good I drank it in 30 minutes. And just to give you a comparison, it usually takes me 3 hours to finish my smoothies in the morning.

I was in love!

We finished our evening with a trip to Bass Pro Outdoor World and then came home and chowed down on homemade butternut squash soup, red onion and tomato paninis, and an assortment of goodies picked up at the hot counter at Whole Foods.

I spent the evening stressing over a final group project for my online Strategies in Teaching ESOL class. Praise the Lord we finally got everything done (last minute) and were able to turn it in last night for a grade. I can't tell you how ready I was to be done with this class! I need a break!

Sunday we went to church and hung out around the house for a while playing with out pictures and teaching my mom and David to edit photos with Gimp 2. It was a nice, relaxing day before the craziness of this weeks started up again.

Something tells me this week will be a little more than I can handle.

Question of the Day:

What kinds of things do you do with your parents?



Down on the Farm

An overview of one of my grandparent's hills...note the patch of Christmas trees there.

Home, home on the range. Where the deer and the groundhogs play! Where often is heard a pro-ofain word, and the men go out hunting all day!

Good morning everyone, and happy Friday to you! I'll have you know that I spent a whole hour getting these pictures ready to show you. Man, do I love you guys or what? I practically missed two whole episodes of Arrested Development to make it happen.

I'm really excited to share them and a piece of my family. So sit back, relax, and get to scrolling...

Me and the hill of trees behind the house.

The red barn...full of Christmas goodies, and antiques from God knows when...there's even an old horse-drawn sleigh that my great-grandfather used to use!

The white barn and a truck we affectionately call "the beast." Inside is tractor equipment and severed deer heads.

The house. My grandmother grew up with her family here since age 6. And she's lived there until now! It's 4 floors, excellent for manhunt, and is full of cubbyholes and corners with creepy dolls and other old stuff. The basement and 4th floor attic were terrifying to me when I was young (and even a little now...).

This is my great-great-grandfather and mother's grave. Gust J. Madera 1. There are now 5 Gust Madera's (My brother is the 5th.) Gust the first died in a coal mining accident there in Pennsylvania and was an immigrant from (we think) Czechoslovakia.

My dad sighting in his rifle for buck season.

John shooting, doesn't he look like a professional?

John LOOKS like a professional, I REALLY AM ONE. ; )

Helping my cousin make a wreath. I'm not a professional at this...but with Chris' help, I did alright!

This is me in my Dad's hunting gear. Can you see me? If you look into my eyes you can see that I am so seriously ghetto. Don't look at me wrong or I will mess you up!

That's my little tour around the farm and some pictures of the fun things we did. We can't wait to go back, hopefully when it is snowing so we can get some great winter shots. It's so beautiful in the winter when the snow is hanging on all the trees and the barn is standing tall and stark against the blanket beneath it. You must see it! 

Have a great weekend everyone, and see you Monday!

Question of the Day:

Is your family attached to a particular town or piece of land?

Weekend Update| November 28, 2011

The old red barn.

How can 4.5 days off fly by like a normal weekend? Life's not fair. We had such a great time in Pennsylvania. We went up to go visit my grandparents on my dad's side and for the first time I got to bring John along. It was the first time he really got to meet any of my family on that side and I had a great time showing him around the place!

My family lives in a small town in Pennsylvania (population 441). They own a large plot of land where they farm Christmas trees, and they have been there so long (generations!) that the road they live on is named after my grandmother's maiden name

I have much more to tell you about my family's farm and a few stories from our family line, but today all we need to worry about is food! What a delicious meal. As you can see, our table was full to the brim! We had all kinds of goodies and it is literally all I ate while I was up there. For two days I ate nothing but Thanksgiving leftovers. I was fat and I was happy. :)


 


I guess one of the more unusual dishes is pictured here. I don't know how many of you have noodles on your table at Thanksgiving, but we do! They buy some kind of homemade noodles there local and when they cook up they are so soft and doughy. They've been serving it on Turkey day as long as I can remember and it's one of those special things I look forward to.

The food wasn't the highlight of my trip though, the people were! I hadn't seen that side of my family in about 10 years! It was so awesome to hang out with my Aunt Dawn and her husband Jim (who I met for the first time!) and with my two cousins, Chris and Brandon. The last time we spent time together I was 15, and we were all just kids. It's so different (and awesome) to spend time as adults, and really talk. I wish I had a few more days to soak it all in....

My Aunt Dawn and I.

I can't wait for our next trip up there. Not only was Thanksgiving a memorable experience, but taking John around the farm and telling stories of my family and our past was more than I could ever ask for. Like I said, I'll be sharing some of that with you this week, as soon as I pretty up those pictures!

Here's a teaser photo- me and one of the Christmas trees on the farm. Yup, I'm a tree-hugger alright!

Question of the Day:

So, what was the best part of YOUR thanksgiving?

Don't forget! If you haven't emailed me your favorite road trip tunes do so now! Totally Awesome Tunes Tuesday is coming tomorrow. :) Email me at culture_connoisseur@yahoo.com!

Thanksgiving- A Reflection

                                                                       Source: designbykelli.com via Kelli on Pinterest

Good morning and happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you are all huddled up around a table with family this beautiful day and will have many beautiful memories to share come Monday.

We arrived here safely in Pennsylvania and are freezing are buns off! I don't know how you northerners live in these temperatures half of the year! You have got thick blood! We enjoyed breakfast around the table trading stories and John and I just went on a golf cart drive around the Christmas tree farm. I can't wait to share pictures with you all.

These days our culture tends to focus more on the turkey and stuffing and less on the actual meaning of the holiday. So I'm drawn here today to share how thankful I am for the life I've been given, the family I was born to, and for each and every one of you that enrich my life in such a real way. I know that we're only "friends," but I feel like I have gotten to know so many of you and I'm thankful for all of your thoughts and points of view, your input, and your encouragement through this last year. It's the community here that keeps me coming back each day and I'm so thankful for the day I first hit "post" and started on a wonderful journey with all of you.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! I wish all the best to you and yours.

Love,

Hannah

10 Ways to Keep the Peace This Thanksgiving

                                                                        Source: treasurefield.tumblr.com via Beth on Pinterest

Here we are. On the eve of one of our favorite days of the year. A day full of travel from far and wide, delicious foods tempting our gluttony, and the inevitable volcano that erupts when locked in tight quarters with people you're supposed to love. And you do love them, you just can't live with them, right?

Well, you're in luck today! Because I'm here to share my 10 Ways to Keep the Peace. I hope they bring a smile to your face...and maybe even help you get through the holidays a bit smoother...

Tip #1- Embrace the art of avoidance. Sure, a trained professional would tell you that the quickest way to healing is to "get it all out in the open." These people clearly have not met your family...

Tip #2- Do not, I repeat, DO NOT discuss politics unless you are sure everyone sides with you.

Tip #3-  Keep some candy in your pockets. When those brats you call nephews start to terrorize you in your Lazy Boy candy will be the cure.

Tip#4-  Pass out little bites of turkey every hour or so. The triptopan will act as a sedative. A sedate family is a happy family.

Tip #5- Keep some jokes up your sleeve. When someone at the table lets loose a Freudian slip and the table has gone silent a quick joke will bring everyone back to speed (and effectively activate tip #1).

                                                                                            Source: ks-waiting.blogspot.com via Beth on Pinterest

Tip #6- Keep an open mind. So your brother brought the flavor of the week home to bum some turkey from your table? Instead of giving him a piece of your mind, take some time and get to know her.

Tip #7- Reminisce. When things get awkward, harkening back to the old days will bring everyone back to what matters and remind them that under it all, you're still family.

Tip #8- Alcohol.

Tip #9- Games. You can't get angry when you're having fun.

Tip #10-  In all seriousness...cherish the time you have. You never know if someone could be missing from the table next year. Your time together is valuable. So soak it all up and enjoy the good times and the crazy ones!

Question of the Day:

How do you handle the stress the holidays inevitably bring?

My First Thanksgiving

Well, this is my first Thanksgiving as a vegetarian. It isn't, however, my first vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner, as the family I am going to visit in Pennsylvania has absolutely no idea I'm a vegetarian...

I'm banking on the fact that a Thanksgiving table is usually plump with variety, leaving plenty of goodies for yours truly to eat. But when you think about it, the following items also could contain meat- gravy, stuffing, casseroles, green beans, etc. So it's also likely that I could have a plate full of cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and bread. Not exactly balanced, but you won't find me crying in my cranberries. I'm really just happy to be with family. And there's always opportunity for the glory of a veggie filled table next year.

                                                                                          Source: google.co.za via Andie on Pinterest

The real question is whether or not to let them into my secret. The men in my family are big time hunters, canning up venison and freezing freshly slaughtered birds all year. Something tells me if I "come out" I may not hear the end of it and may end up in a can myself. If I had to guess, the pin above would really sum up their feelings.  ;-)


Coming up this week:
Tuesday: My Top Picks for Thanksgiving Recipes!
Wednesday: 10 Ways to Keep the Peace This Thanksgiving
Thursday: Thanksgiving- A Reflection
Friday: Too. Much. Pie.

Long Weekend Update| September 6, 2011

Me and the girls at Wekiwa Springs

Good Tuesday morning to you all! Raise your hand if your ready to start back into the work week. No takers? That's what I thought. Raise your hand if you had an awesome and relaxing long weekend....

Now that's more like it!

This weekend we were able to squeeze in quite a bit of fun and relax time despite some of the more stressful tasks we had before us: finding new wheels for the car and scouting out a new place to live. More on the tires later, and more on the new place to live once we find something.

Sunday morning we went to Wekiwa Springs State Park in Winter Springs, Florida. It was such a beautiful, peaceful morning and we enjoyed a two-hour paddle around the springs with our friend Laura and her parents who were in town. As you can see, the water was so glassy and still and everything was so lush and green. We saw multiple turtles and even saw a little 2ft alligator as we were coming back to shore.

The company was the best part though. Laura just moved into town and it's been great getting to know her better. Meeting her awesome parents was the icing on the cake...talk about people of God! We really loved our time getting to know them and laughing along with them down the river. 

We also enjoyed an evening using our new grill. John made me homemade kebab and he knocked it out of the park. Something tells me he has a little bit of Persian blood running through his veins because it tasted just as good as the ones I've had at restaurants or our Iranian friends' house. I will be posting a recipe and how-to on Thursday. You're going to want to try this recipe!

We also grilled hot dogs this weekend...those were nothing to write home about. And frank-ly (hehe), I regret it.

Monday John finally got some new wheels for the car. He and a friend went to pick them up from a guy in St. Cloud. We paid $300 for all four wheels and tires. Not a bad deal. We parked the car inches away from my own last night so that if the theives had the nerve to come back again they would only be able to steal two of them.

Luckily, no such thing happened. And if it had, John swore we would move into a friends house until we found a new place to live.

Monday evening we got together for dinner at Olive Garden with our friends Becky and Reggie. Reggie just moved to L.A. and is back visiting his beautiful girlfriend Becky. Aren't they a lovely couple?  They are surely in love. I have a feeling he's going to be stealing my friend away forever sometime soon, but I couldn't think of a better person to do so. We love you Reggie!

We're looking forward to the short week ahead and the possibilities for housing coming our way. We should have some busy evenings scoping places out. Can't wait to update you all on our progress!

Have a great week!

Question of the Day: 

Do you celebrate labor day and recognize it as anything other than a day off?

Don't forget to enter the Cooking Light Subscription Giveaway by Thursday!

Friday Replay- Iran: Women in Community

Good morning! First of all, thank you for all of you sweet responses to yesterdays hair post. You all helped out a lot and help me to decide to grow my hair back out. I'm gonna go for the look that Leslie posted (see comments). So cute! Thanks for your help!

___________________________________________________________________

Today I'm starting something called Friday Replay where I get a chance to replay some of the posts that I wrote  back when the only people reading were my mother and husband. So many of them mean a lot to me, and show my heart a bit more, so much so that I want to share them with the many readers I'm blessed to have now! First up, "Iran: Women in Community."

This past weekend I had the privilege of celebrating the near arrival of my dear friend’s first child! Her baby shower was beautiful and the people there, even more so. My friend is Iranian. She moved to the states 2 years ago with her husband who is working on his PhD at our university. We met at an International Thanksgiving dinner 2 years ago, and we got together often so she could practice her English.

I have many Iranian friends, so I was not prepared for the wonderful surprise that awaited me at this shower. It was unlike the other times I had hung out with large groups of Persians before. This time it was all women, and it was wonderful! I was able to observe so many wonderful differences between their female culture and my own; differences that ought to be celebrated, and perhaps adopted.

I know that the gender issues in Muslim cultures can be a hot topic for Americans with so many of us holding to feminist ideologies. Many of us have a tendency to struggle with a Muslim woman's position in their society, in their family, and the implications of modest dress and head coverings. Many of these misunderstandings and assumptions are born out of fear and the unknown. It wasn't until yesterday that I realized I had made any assumptions about my dear friends, and wasn't until yesterday that I was finally able to see this aspect of their culture for what it is...a celebration of all things female!

While many Iranians are quite lax, there are some who hold to a more modest code of Islam. As the party progressed and more and more guests arrived I couldn't keep from chuckling. These gorgeous women would walk in covered head to foot and when the door closed the "veil" was lifted to reveal awesome party clothes, the cutest shoes, and gorgeous jewelry. I wanted to punch myself for all the times I had assumed they hated dawning what I saw as oppressive clothing, understanding now that underneath it all, they looked like absolute divas. 

Soon the food was served and morale was high. Ladies laughing, shouting, cheering, joking. There was a female comradery present that I have never felt when surrounded by a group of my own American girlfriends. It was an understanding that all the women there were strong and beautiful, successful mothers, daughters and wives. A sense of pride in unity of culture and tradition and a celebration of those things Persian. It was a safe place, a place where one could be understood, defended, and set free.

I'm sure many of my friends would be the first to tell you that like all women, they struggle with their appearance, their body type, their insecurities and their fears. Most aspects of being a women are just universal, but they seemed to have something right that I was just missing.

Tea was served, cake was cut, and Persian music was blaring. The ladies took turns dancing in the middle of the room, each cheering on their peer, whistling, chirping, laughing. It was a wonderful time to celebrate the beauty of each one. A wonderful time to see my very lovely and very pregnant friend dancing and enjoying this exciting moment in her life. I was happy to witness it all (and even happier to capture all these moments on camera)!

I left the party wanting more. More freedom with my friends. More enjoyment in who we are. More celebration in all that it means to be a woman- the success, the fertility, the beauty, the tradition, the love and the family. And most of all....more dancing.  

Question of the Day:

What are your "girl time" traditions? How do you celebrate what it means to be a woman. 

If your a man, what do you love about the woman in your life? 

 

 

 

 

Virginia Trip, Part Two: Washington D.C

The Capital Building

Washington, D.C. It's one of the most beautiful American cities I've seen in terms of architecture. Being there, it was hard to believe that the buildings were real. I've only seen them in print these 24 years and seeing them in person was a bit surreal at first. I love that feeling. It always fills me with a sense of privilege. I've seen history with my own eyes. Do you know how many people in the world will never leave their village? I really do thank God for all that I've been blessed to see in this world!

My favorite building was the Smithsonian Castle (so Harry Potter-like!). My imagination was really able to run wild looking at that building. Unfortunately I couldn't snag a good picture of it, maybe next time. As far as all the political-y buildings, my favorite was the capital...hands down. We had a tour of its rooms and all the paintings and statues were exciting to see.

I wanted to share with you some of the best pics of the day...enjoy!

The front of the capital, flanked by the House and Senate

John and I with our nephew Zeb leaving the Thomas Jefferson Library

The Supreme Court Building

The Back of the White House (sadly, no Obama...)

Our zoom lens captured a sniper in bullet proof vest!

The Washington Monument

The Vietnam Memorial Wall

Me and honest Abe!

What is your favorite building in D.C.? Why?

P.S. None of you told me how flippin' spread out everything is there!! I think I walked about 1,000 miles in that one day. I'm still sore from it! It's ok though, I forgive you. ;)