Q U O T E #5

in the face of change what mask do you where? the really tough one Bane from Batman wears? the sleek black and white one from Black Swan? a clown nose with a huge panted smile? i have no idea what face to put on, if i should laugh or cry, jump for joy or snuggle up and wait until the change is passed. 

living in a comfortable place where things rarely change i have grown to assume i am always accepting of change. but i am finding that dropping what i know and being open to whatever happens is much more than just words. change is beautiful, it allows you more room to grow. it gives you new experiences to learn from and teaches you difficult lessons along the way. these are things i know, things that i say all the time. now i am realizing that i also have to tell myself i can not control the future, i don't have the time traveling mask. all i have is my regular old face, a little make up but no mask.

so in the face of change i choose to say hello, welcome to my very simply life. i am ready for a new adventure, i know that what you have in store for me is what is meant to be!

  

Q U O T E #4

i read a quote today: 

we live in a world where we are taught to dream big, never give up and that we can have everything we want in we try hard enough. somewhere along the line i think the meaning of the beautiful message of dreaming big was lost or translated wrong or who knows what the heck happened, but all of a sudden dreaming big means having the next best thing. being better than the person to your right. taking crazy risks. spending more money. having more money. being seen. being known. basically having bragging rights to everything and using them always. 

the lady i want to be isn't the lady who has to keep up with the Joneses-or Kardashians (even if i watch that show shamelessly). i want to be the lady who is superior to her former self. at any moment you can lose everything that gives you bragging rights. you can lose your family, job, friends, watches, cars, money, home, EVERYTHING. when it's all gone, and you have nothing to prove that you were once "superior" will you be happy with the person you are left with? yourself. will you think you gave as much as you could, loved as hard as you could, laughed as loud as you could and grew into the person you dreamed you would be? if so then i am doing it wrong because i am not keeping up with the Joneses as much as the next guy. 

i am working on myself. always choosing to look at life with a positive outlook. always choosing a smile over an eye roll. always choosing a laugh over a frustrated grunt. i am learning to put others first but care for myself too. i am learning to take life less seriously. i am learning to be balanced. i am not perfect. i keep buying expensive yoga clothes because somehow they make my yoga better. i keep thinking new things in my apartment will make it more cozy. i am only human, i mean like to shop. but working on me means i get to be ok with the fact that i don't have to be superior to the dude to my right. i can be happy with what i have and know that if i no longer have the "stuff" i will still be happy with what is left, myself. 

someone put bourbon in the pie

each year, me and a few special people head to Chicago to go to the Renegade Craft Fair. our time there is the welcoming of fall we all crave.  needless to say, each year i become inspired by all of the inventive people in the world. this naturally results in me buying many thing i clearly need. this year i found something that inspired more than a crafty outlook for fall, it inspired the baker i know i secretly am. Chicago's very own slice of brilliance, PIEBOX.

i mean how was a girl supposed to resist the wonderful image a piebox brings to the world!? and because i bought a box for it, and i hate to do things half heartedly, i made a pie. 

...and what does one do with a freshly baked pie and the most perfect home for it... take pictures you say? why of course! 

oh yes. the pie tasted delicious, thanks to this recipe from A Beautiful Mess Blog

xoxo

cordelia 

Even when your life is crazy never forget to give yourself some time to do a little of what make you happy.  Here is a little glimpse into what I love doing...

Photo Log

Here is a collection of pictures I've taken recently

 Kayla and coffee

 Jes and Coffee

An army of energy 

 Girl things

Room things 

 Kid snack

Longing 

The center of the mess 

Coffee at my feet and guitar in hands

Life.

Being part college student, part nanny, part worker, part daughter, part girlfriend and part friend does not really leave much time to be part blogger/photographer.  I recently went to El Salvador and spent 10 days with my wonderful family.  I took WAY to many pictures to edit but here are a few to share, the rest will be on my Flickr

Up with the Birds

Someday I want to learn to be as graceful as a bird.  I want to soar over my world with the feeling of freedom.  I want to float through the clouds and feel the sun, warm and comforting. 

Really loving this song... take a little listen!

Virtue #5

Simplicity is straight-foward, not complex or complicated

It is possible for life to be this way, all you have to do is change your thoughts from thinking that all the things you do, need, and have, are stressful.  Don't think of life as stressful, when you say that you create conflict with in you.  Stress is a negative word.  When you think of life as a learning experience you lessen the negativity.  Simplicity does not remove conflict and problems it just helps us view them differently.  Creating simplicity will help us feel more balanced.  

Simplicity can be seen in our clothes, relationships, work places, and even diets.  The less we require our minds to think complexly about tasks the more simple doing things becomes.  Getting dressed in the morning, stressful, especially when you don't know what to wear.  Creating a more simple wardrobe means less time thinking about what to wear.  Telling your boyfriend you can't make it to dinner because you  once again overloaded your plate, stressful, especially if you do it all the time and he's fed up.  Honest, straight-foward communication means less time preparing a speech on why you are not going to be there.  Telling work you can do something you just can't do that extra thing, stressful especially when you are a people pleaser.  Once again a straight-forward 'no' will mean less time balancing every activity plus extra work.  Eating a meal of completely unhealthy items because you were too busy to remember lunch, stressful, especially when you know spending $10 on food you could make for $5.  Making healthy food the night or weekend  before work and packing it makes for a somewhat more simple afternoon (and guilt free!).  

Simplicity can come in every part of your life if you allow it.  Start noticing the beauty of simple thinking, maybe you will find that you are in a place in your life that is exactly where you are meant to be.  Life has its complications but you have to power to view them differently.  

Try and be simple today.

Vegan/Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Cookies

First off, I must say I am not vegan or gluten free.  I am simply someone who enjoys being healthy.  I choose healthy options when they are given but if there is no other choice I will choose to eat food.  I really just love food.  The girls I nanny for are both vegan and when I bake I try to keep it gluten free, hence Vegan/Gluten Free Chocolate Cherry Cookies.

 Meet the girls, and Mandy. (the cat)

 Here are the ingredients I used. (I forgot the agave in this picture) 

 My favorite part of these cookies is the sea salt.  I added a bit on top which gives it a sweet salty taste.

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour (I used all purpose gluten free flour)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup unsweetened coco powder (I used raw cacao powder)
1/2 cup grape seed oil
3/4 cup agave nectar (I used organic raw blue agave)
1 tbsp organic vanilla extract
1 cup chopped dark chocolate (I used vegan carob chips)
1 cup dried cherries (In a hurry I accidentally grabbed cranberries in this batch, not bad)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper
In a large bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and coco powder.
In another bowl whisk together grape seed oil, agave, and vanilla.

Fold wet into dry mix and combine thoroughly.  Add cherries and chocolate

Spoon the dough into table spoon size balls onto the cookie sheets.  Press down balls and flatten (this is when I added a sprinkle of salt).  Leave about 2 inches between them for baking room.  Bake for 10-15 min or until tops are dry and cracked.

ENJOY!

PS if you are vegan, for more yummy recipes check out
Waking Up Vegan