tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89443086339105811012024-02-19T03:58:08.362-07:00Monk and MaoAmberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-11444030624863116492013-12-09T08:16:00.000-07:002013-12-09T08:16:46.956-07:00Vegan Chocolate Chip Cat CookiesThis recipe and tutorial has moved to my new baking blog. <a href="http://www.blueballsbakery.com/2013/12/vegan-chocolate-chip-cat-cookies.html" target="_blank">Click here</a> to head over there!Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-70583873975718335442013-10-24T10:47:00.000-06:002013-10-24T10:47:00.440-06:00Garbage Disposal CookiesA few nights ago, my uterus was all, "Hey! Mom! We want cookies and salty snacks and chocolate and EVERYTHING."<br />
<br />
Is it weird that my uterus calls me mom? I mean, my cats call me mom, but that's different.<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
Ask, little uterus, and you shall receive. Let's make some garbage disposal cookies.<br />
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I made mine with liquid stevia because I can't handle a lot of sugar. I figured the sugar in the molasses, chocolate chips, and marshmallows was plenty for me. I haven't tried the sugar version of the recipe because I don't want to freak out and feel like shit and have to nap for six hours. Please let me know if you try it, and if 2 teaspoons is too much or too little and I'll adjust the note.<br />
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<b>Garbage Disposal Cookies </b>(vegan, gluten-free option, low-sugar option)<br />
Makes 6-8 small cookies. Recipe can easily be doubled.<br />
<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/monkandmao/vegan-garbage-disposal-cookies?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank">printable recipe</a><br />
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1 tsp ground flax seed mixed with 1 Tbsp water<br />
<br />
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats<br />
1/4 cup flour of your choice (I used 2 Tbsp teff flour + 2 Tbsp sorghum flour)<br />
1/2 Tbsp fresh, finely ground coffee (crappy coffee is fine in these, just NOT instant coffee)<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
1/8 tsp sea salt<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp ground ginger, cardamom, allspice, more cinnamon, or any other spice you love<br />
<br />
1 Tbsp melted Earth Balance (or oil of your choice)<br />
3 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk (soy, rice, or coconut would work, too)<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
25-30 drops liquid stevia (or 2 tsp sugar)<br />
1 Tbsp molasses (optional, but DELICIOUS)<br />
<br />
1 Tbsp mini chocolate chips<br />
1 Tbsp toasted coconut (or nuts, raisins, potato chips, cereal, peanut butter chips, etc.)<br />
2 Tbsp broken up mini pretzels (about 4 pretzels, use gf pretzels if you need to!)<br />
2 <a href="http://amzn.com/B003L7DFQA" target="_blank">Dandies marshmallows</a>, chopped into small pieces<br />
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Preheat your oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.<br />
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In a small bowl, combine the flax and water. Set it aside.<br />
<br />
Whisk your dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set that aside.<br />
<br />
Measure your fillers into a small bowl and set aside. I found it easier to cut up the marshmallows and add them to the dry ingredients so they didn't all just stick together in the bowl o' fillers.<br />
<br />
Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until it's nicely combined. Fold in your fillers (chocolate chips and all that). Scoop the batter on to your lined cookie sheet by heaping tablespoons. Flatten each cookie just a bit.<br />
<br />
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Let these cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack, otherwise marshmallows will stick and it will be sad. Cookies will be fluffy and muffin-like and you'll probably eat them all in one sitting.<br />
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Shit. I just had an idea. I'm going to make banana "ice cream" and make ice cream sandwiches with these. Maybe with a little peanut butter mixed in there. THANKS, UTERUS.<br />
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Are you going to make these? What are you going to put in them? Can I come over if I promise to bring champagne?<br />
<br />
<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-65015473392771210482013-09-19T09:34:00.000-06:002013-10-31T21:37:05.632-06:00Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These cookies came from a desire for fall flavors, mixed with some laziness.<br />
<br />
I've made a few things from Betty Crocker's gluten-free cookie and cake mixes recently with great results, but I hadn't been brave enough to start adding or changing things beyond subbing in oil and a flax egg. I figured I could just make a few modifications to the chocolate chip cookie mix, hope for the best, and eat whatever pumpkin-flavored mess I pulled out of the oven.<br />
<br />
I can't believe they turned out as delicious as they did.<br />
<br />
Just to make sure it was really that easy to make something so yummy, I made them a second time and took them to work. Almost everyone who ate one asked for the recipe. It was a happy day for this little baker girl.<br />
<br />
So, I made a video. Finally. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time, but was never brave enough to put myself in front of the camera. These cookies are too good to not share, though.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/T1UJk-PmJHQ" width="420"></iframe><br />
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I know. The lighting is terrible, and the video is really choppy, but I'll get better the more I do this. Which should be often, because it was a lot of fun!<br />
<br />
I'm planning on more boxed mix tutorials, along with some other stuff. Carrot cupcakes. Mini stevia-sweetened 100 calorie pumpkin pies with whipped coconut cream. Mimosa cupcakes.<br />
<br />
Vegan marshmallow fondant and how to turn it into little penis cupcake toppers.<br />
<br />
I guess that kind of explains why my YouTube channel is called Blue Balls Bakery. Heh.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, and here's the recipe in case you're a jerk and don't want to watch the video. Jerk.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;"><b>Easy Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; line-height: 21px;">(vegan, gluten-free)</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Makes 20-24 cookies</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/monkandmao/easy-pumpkin-spice-chocolate-chip-cookies?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank">printable recipe</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 3 Tbsp water</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1 box Betty Crocker Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1/2 tsp cinnamon</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1/2 tsp ground nutmeg</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1/4 tsp ground ginger</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1 cup canned pumpkin puree (NOT canned pumpkin pie mix)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup oil (canola, coconut, melted Earth Balance, etc.)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">1 tsp vanilla extract</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Preheat your oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Combine flax and water in a small bowl and set aside.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Combine cookie mix and spices in a large bowl and set aside.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Combine pumpkin, oil, vanilla, and flax mixture. Give it a good stir, then add it to the dry ingredients. Mix until it's nicely combined. Dough will be sticky. <span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 1.5;">Scoop dough onto your baking sheet by heaping tablespoons, leaving an inch between cookies. Flatten each one with the back of the spoon.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Bake cookies 11-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into a cookie comes out clean. Let the <span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 1.5;">cookies cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Leftovers can be frozen, but you won't have any leftovers.</span></span></div>
Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-75913751468483681982013-06-09T19:27:00.000-06:002013-06-09T19:28:50.626-06:00A Champagney Update<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Been workin' on my 32 Before 32 list.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strike>8. Go hiking.</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We've gone on two hikes recently. This weekend, <a href="http://twitter.com/neplusultra" target="_blank">Becky</a>, my most <a href="http://www.craftninjas.net/" target="_blank">amazingest friend</a>, invited us to hike Mount Galbraith Loop with her and Colin. The weather was lovely and the conversation was raunchy. PERFECT.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9wJX6_OqHJw-vKxt542Lu6EkVMDfC4CMPy4vUI9SpVDaFd1QRW4XTYOYrOHOJbd9UiQTjJtZ7Y1_4TcO9bJT0je9fL-scJum76mhou4YcZlDIsEESx8w2p3sSnBOloDLadGQNi2CkI81/s1600/HIKING.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9wJX6_OqHJw-vKxt542Lu6EkVMDfC4CMPy4vUI9SpVDaFd1QRW4XTYOYrOHOJbd9UiQTjJtZ7Y1_4TcO9bJT0je9fL-scJum76mhou4YcZlDIsEESx8w2p3sSnBOloDLadGQNi2CkI81/s640/HIKING.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Photo by <a href="http://instagram.com/neplusultra23/" target="_blank">Becky</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There will be much more hiking in my future, with my thrifted Kelty backpack by my (back)side.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strike>11. See Crystal Castles live if they do a U.S. tour.</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Again, this happened thanks to Becky. When we still lived in Seattle, she sent me a text to tell me Crystal Castles had scheduled a Denver show. Even though I was going on two years of unemployment and paying $1,200 a month on a studio apartment, I bought tickets for Shaun and myself. That's pretty much why credit cards exist, right?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The show made us feel old and curmudgeonly, but we still had fun. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdX0XfxDIPLLm80Q0I4YpJDdrueLpTcXZhLI4AcQOOjRpfgI7zW3yuZMxqhDiHXPvU2yETwJMX-jsDVOWGwGgqpbjP4ZWwU3TkMtFX-HByBRL6SqUjS3nhapWeFRbiNYfXVc6AOlT1XSM/s1600/photo+(4).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTdX0XfxDIPLLm80Q0I4YpJDdrueLpTcXZhLI4AcQOOjRpfgI7zW3yuZMxqhDiHXPvU2yETwJMX-jsDVOWGwGgqpbjP4ZWwU3TkMtFX-HByBRL6SqUjS3nhapWeFRbiNYfXVc6AOlT1XSM/s640/photo+(4).JPG" height="300" title="Crystal Castles in Denver 2013" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We drank whiskey, avoided dope-sick fans (because it's the '90s and "dope-sick" is still a thing), and left early. Like, really early. BUT WE SAW CRYSTAL CASTLES. Finally.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strike>19. Play Cards Against Humanity again.</strike></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Went to <a href="http://twitter.com/jessmignon" target="_blank">Jess</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/paluchador" target="_blank">Justin</a>'s housewarming party. Drank weird shots. Played CAH. Met lots of awesome people (<a href="http://twitter.com/jgamet" target="_blank">@jgamet</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/mdusing" target="_blank">@mdusing</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/livearrow" target="_blank">@livearrow</a>). SO MUCH FUN.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strike>25. Make pink pretzel hearts and give them to friends.</strike></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnAGX9gfbC4OULx7C6QWcJ3yM6EDiO9aVG1W2MwiQ5lIHufZPWs7sH2U_y4vaBr1P0LoTR9Fteh-bhhRPuyLPwTDZ7mUg17E6rFF2hj2YIPNyOHKBgyVEe8hsrMuBbq_DKF_qaGzaK9nK/s1600/photo+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsnAGX9gfbC4OULx7C6QWcJ3yM6EDiO9aVG1W2MwiQ5lIHufZPWs7sH2U_y4vaBr1P0LoTR9Fteh-bhhRPuyLPwTDZ7mUg17E6rFF2hj2YIPNyOHKBgyVEe8hsrMuBbq_DKF_qaGzaK9nK/s1600/photo+(5).JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I made 'em. And maybe Shaun and I ate most of them. But I did send some to friends. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, really, I've been doing okay. As unhappy as I am with a lot of my life right now, things aren't that bad. I really have been focusing on my health like I wanted to this year (hello, low FODMAP life!). My mental health could use some help, but at least I feel okay physically. I guess.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">School is on hold because I'm currently making what I made in my early 20s (yeah, really) AND taking care of two people on that sad amount of money. So, yeah, can't afford school and... fuck more debt. Really, things can only get better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fuck, I feel like I should be writing this in Livejournal. THIS IS NOT BLOGGING. THIS IS WHINING AND BEING A POUTY GOTH KID. Thanks, champagne.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I guess that's all for now. Still working on my running speed/time. Still snuggling cats. Still working on reopening the monkandmao Etsy shop. BUT I'M IN DENVER. And things will be okay. I'll make them okay.</span>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-51436631460006338512013-06-04T10:45:00.000-06:002013-10-31T21:38:12.504-06:00Socca is Delicious<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was lurking on Pinterest a few weeks ago (surprise, surprise), and saw a picture of chickpea pancakes. Chickpeas? Pancakes? Together? Whaaaaaa? I had never heard of such a thing, but I immediately started daydreaming about them. "Yeah," I told the cats, "we're making chickpea pancakes."</div>
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The recipe from Pinterest sounded... okay. But by then it was too late. I needed chickpea pancakes. NEEDED them. The wheat-allergic boyfriend was also pretty excited about the idea. So I went to google. </div>
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<a href="http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/06/socca-enfin/" target="_blank">This post</a> by David Lebovitz talks about socca, a savory pancake that is a popular street food in Nice. FRENCH chickpea pancakes?! Holy shit. His recipe sounded so simple and delicious, but I knew I wanted a lot of flavor and some veggies in my pancakes, so I looked around a bit more and ended up combining parts of David's recipe with a few others I found online. I also added ground flax seeds and nutritional yeast because I'm obsessed with both at the moment.</div>
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Oh, and if you're wondering where to find chickpea flour, Whole Foods sells the Bob's Red Mill version, and most Indian and Arabic grocery stores sell it under the name besan.</div>
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So, I made some. I was curious to taste the difference between pan-fried and baked socca, so I split the prepared batter up and tried it both ways. Pan-fried was the definite winner. I blame the less-than-stellar baked batch on the crappy dollar store pizza pan I used. One day I'll have a giant cast iron pan. One day. *sigh*</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMkL9BInTAhT0G6IhtolGBLv6zrdVnojG8nbU0J8zjIUyRoMgDJDSKkX2NNT4IiNDASuktfzd6GPx11RkQ4rkI-Gt5hB0EeY_MjIfTIQt8CUx1NFhVR72p9PHnVgRp_WHRpVDbbqbfqP0/s1600/photo+2+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMkL9BInTAhT0G6IhtolGBLv6zrdVnojG8nbU0J8zjIUyRoMgDJDSKkX2NNT4IiNDASuktfzd6GPx11RkQ4rkI-Gt5hB0EeY_MjIfTIQt8CUx1NFhVR72p9PHnVgRp_WHRpVDbbqbfqP0/s1600/photo+2+(1).JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Socca</u></b> (Chickpea Pancakes)</div>
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Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free</div>
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Makes 6-8 8" pancakes if pan fried, 2-3 large pancakes if baked</div>
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1 1/2 cups chickpea flour</div>
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1 cup water</div>
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1 tablespoon ground flax seeds</div>
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2 tablespoons nooch (nutritional yeast)</div>
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1 teaspoon sea salt</div>
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1/2 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin (start with less unless you <i>really</i> like cumin)</div>
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1/2 teaspoon ground coriander</div>
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1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for your pan</div>
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2 chopped green onions (both white and green sections)</div>
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1/2 cup frozen peas (optional, but yummy)</div>
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Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and let the batter sit for an hour or two. Or use it immediately. INSTANT GRATIFICATION.</div>
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<b>To Pan Fry: </b></div>
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Stir batter. Drizzle a nonstick pan (I used an 8" pan) with a little olive oil (1/2 teaspoon-ish) and heat on medium until hot. </div>
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Pour in 1/4 cup batter and use the measuring cup to spread to fill the bottom of the pan. Cook until the entire pancake is firm and starting to brown on the bottom, then flip and cook a few more minutes, until the other side starts to brown. </div>
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Transfer onto a plate or wrap pancakes in foil to keep them warm. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper before serving.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xNsJBVllyEDfmhm50JLIUtCJDLa9TEn2RLlEE74yNjw4GKiVaZ97iztpKdfcVcIyk2j_yanUNiFNzsEB06RWy6V6N_aHA2tc0sJxKDXnFGN78-TAJSoT56i2VV9Tu0HWozSN82SgCiJx/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xNsJBVllyEDfmhm50JLIUtCJDLa9TEn2RLlEE74yNjw4GKiVaZ97iztpKdfcVcIyk2j_yanUNiFNzsEB06RWy6V6N_aHA2tc0sJxKDXnFGN78-TAJSoT56i2VV9Tu0HWozSN82SgCiJx/s1600/photo+1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b>To Bake:</b></div>
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Preheat oven to 400. Drizzle a pizza pan, baking sheet, or cast iron pan with 2-3 teaspoons olive oil (which is more than I used, and my socca stuck to my shitty pizza pan SO BAD). Stick the pan in the oven to preheat.</div>
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Once the oven is done warming up, take the HOT pan out of the oven and pour a semi-thin layer of batter onto the entire pan, smoothing with a spoon if you need to. It's okay if your batter looks pretty thin. Thin socca is delicious and browns faster.</div>
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Bake your socca until the edges start to brown, which is anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes, depending on your oven, pan, etc. Let the edges brown. Please. It's so good that way.</div>
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When it's done, remove your giant pancake from the oven, cut into pieces, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. We only sprinkled ours with salt because we're ghetto and didn't have pepper. </div>
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Ghetto socca. Still delicious.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XGU5BdibN0mVaBLa4RDp5T2clsWgwpsRvbU24IkeKSrRJMPNnWdwxHe3jKTwxUUj_1snfR0DOh2TRj21OkkN2Pnc50qeUyEdH3b_F6H5rCSEFZElbuQdh_T7Xrc1w8lXu83zODNDpAv4/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XGU5BdibN0mVaBLa4RDp5T2clsWgwpsRvbU24IkeKSrRJMPNnWdwxHe3jKTwxUUj_1snfR0DOh2TRj21OkkN2Pnc50qeUyEdH3b_F6H5rCSEFZElbuQdh_T7Xrc1w8lXu83zODNDpAv4/s1600/photo+2.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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So, are you going to make socca, or what? You should. For breakfast, or lunch, or a snack. They kind of taste like a much milder falafel. They're yummy and filling and high in protein and fiber. Yeah, you should make these. Your colon will thank you (unless you're like me, but that's a whole 'nother blog post). </div>
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GO MAKE SOCCA.</div>
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<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-64399958440299381692013-02-12T12:57:00.000-07:002013-10-31T21:39:10.156-06:00A Belated Birthday Post - 32 Before 32<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">My 31st birthday came and went without much of a celebration. Shaun took me out for lunch and drinks, but we had to call it a day after half a plate of nachos and a few sips of beer because I felt so shitty. I spent the rest of the night curled up in bed with a fever of 102. My first and only birthday spent in Seattle was kind of a let down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I did get to spend a lot of time planning my list while I sat in bed, but shit happens and I'm just now getting around to posting it. I'm only six weeks late. I'm pretty excited about it and hope you think it was worth the wait.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">1. Run an 8 minute mile.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">2. Photograph another boudoir shoot.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">3. Reopen the monkandmao Etsy shop with all cat-related
crafts.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">4. Get tattooed, even if it’s something small.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">5. Put music on my phone and organize some playlists.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">6. Wear sequins.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">7. Get a massage with Shaun, if it’s in the budget.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">8. Go hiking.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">9. Stay (mostly) sugar-free. No cane or beet sugar, agave,
maple or brown rice syrup, or hfcs (obviously). A little piece of high-quality
dark chocolate is fine. #nomoresugarmonster</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">10. Spend some time in front of the camera.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">11. See Crystal Castles live
if they do a U.S.
tour.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">12. Experiment with tofu. Use it differently in a meal.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">13. Run another half marathon, either a real one or on my
own.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">14. Buy used whenever possible (clothes, shoes, accessories,
furniture, dishes, etc.).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">15. Go camping.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">16. Donate to five Kickstarter campaigns.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">17. Don’t drink booze for three (non-consecutive) months,
just for fun.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">18. Use Couch to 5K to increase running speed. Try 7mph,
maybe even faster.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">19. Play Cards Against Humanity again.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">20. Type up and organize my recipe file.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">21. Make a video tutorial and share it with the internet.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">22. Read a Vonnegut book.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">23. Take a class.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">24. Teach a class.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">25. Make pink pretzel hearts and give them to friends.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">26. Visit mom, grandma, Ash, and Isabelle in Utah.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">27. See at least 5 arty/crafty projects to completion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">28. Give my car interior a thorough cleaning.<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">29. Leave food on my plate if I’m satisfied, especially when
eating at a restaurant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">30. Visit the coast. Any coast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">31. Take a picture of each letter of the alphabet. This
needs a hashtag.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">32. This is the big one. Above all else, <b>stay focused</b> on what’s really
important. Even if the other 31 goals on this list don’t get completed by my 32<sup>nd</sup> birthday, I will feel great if I can honestly say I worked really hard on this
one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Focus on...</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: 45pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">-<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><b>...school</b>.
I’m about halfway to B.S. in Accounting. I would be thrilled to take 10-12
credits a semester, but I’ll be happy if I take at least 6 and kick ass at my
classes.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: 45pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">-<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><b>...building and strengthening relationships</b>. This includes my relationship with Shaun,
family, and friends. Don’t flake on plans. Ask more questions. Don’t take
people for granted. Talk less about myself and learn more about others. Make an
effort to spend time with friends I want to keep in my life. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: 45pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">-<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><b>...my health,
both physical and mental</b>. Keep up with running, lifting weights, and HIIT.
Add yoga once guided classes are in my budget. Take care of issues before they turn into sources of stress. Keep writing To Do
lists and go to bed with a clear mind.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; margin-left: 45pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">-<span style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><b>...cultivating
my inner beauty</b>. Sadly, I’ve spend most of my life worrying about my
appearance and neglecting my personality. It’s never too late to change that. I
will be compassionate, understanding, curious, giving, forgiving, authentic,
optimistic, and kind. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So, after years of making lists that involve spending a bunch of money, I've learned my lesson. I'ma work on ME. I can do this. All of it. Can't wait to share my progress!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-77166412614754665732013-01-01T10:43:00.000-07:002013-02-11T13:45:18.246-07:00So that was 30, huh?What a year. I lived in six different apartments/houses in three different states (Colorado, Utah, and Washington). It was a pretty rough year for us, really.<br />
<br />
Shaun lost his dad six days after we temporarily moved to Washington to be close to his family. Now, my dad's cancer treatment has stopped working and he's quickly getting sicker. We're working on a plan to go home to Denver so I can be within driving distance of his place in Rock Springs, Wyoming. <br />
<br />
So, yeah, things are kind of crappy.<br />
<br />
On to more positive things. I still managed to cross a good number of things off my list.<br />
<br />
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1. Ride a motorcycle. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">The opportunity never came up and I did nothing to try to
make this one happen. Shaun did get his motorcycle driver's license over the summer, so
there’s a good chance he'll get a bike and we'll go for a ride one day.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<s>2. Go to the teahouse in Boulder again.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Blogged <a href="http://www.monkandmao.com/2012/01/mmm-tea.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></i></div>
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3. Sew my own lingerie. Undies for sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Possibly something else, too. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Started this one,
but I don’t have a sewing machine. Hand sewing stretched elastic sounds like a
bad idea. I’m on the hunt for a cheap (thrifted) sewing machine and I’ll try to
get these undies finished this year. </span></i></div>
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4. Try pad thai. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">We barely did any eating out this year, and I kept recipes
cheap and simple. Still, I’m surprised I didn’t make this happen.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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5. Go on a 90 day spending fast. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">I didn’t declare a spending fast at any point,
but I’m positive I went at least 90 days without buying anything unnecessary.
Still, I’m not crossing this one out.</span></i></div>
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<s><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></s></div>
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<s>6. Fire a gun.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Finally did this and had a blast. I was really good and hit a
couple small targets from 200 feet. Definitely something I’d like to do again.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVw1D0s48zxjgxgiyMJgim9SjPLyZKWxMiboOU-uNtEtsGoT8B0kM1BW1K_HApDWDg6eMPk6tUrriZYkDYYctUd4gTd37n0YyHmueswhx5vIU9vnAlTtWZjRrvhIBiyRj-QFCGIA8Dtf0k/s1600/Zombie+Killer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVw1D0s48zxjgxgiyMJgim9SjPLyZKWxMiboOU-uNtEtsGoT8B0kM1BW1K_HApDWDg6eMPk6tUrriZYkDYYctUd4gTd37n0YyHmueswhx5vIU9vnAlTtWZjRrvhIBiyRj-QFCGIA8Dtf0k/s400/Zombie+Killer.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Me and the Zombie Killer. My hair was so short!</i></span></div>
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7. Make sourdough bread (with my great uncle Ken’s recipe,
if anyone still has it). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">I made quite a bit of bread this year, but no sourdough. Mom
keeps saying she’ll get the recipe for me. It hasn’t happened yet. Maybe this
year.</span></i></div>
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<s><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></s></div>
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<s>8. Buy new running shoes.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">I’ve been saying this for a couple years now.
Although my five-year-old Nike Free 5.0 shoes started to get holes in the toes
and the soles were obviously disintegrating, my broke ass had no plans (or money)
to replace them. Luckily, my loverboy surprised me with a new pair for
Christmas. Can’t wait to wear them when I’m over this cold and back at the gym!</span></i></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYt3hpXsN_5pp0_lugtV2KvcbDw_U25_E-lnPO8WZa3wiXN99q1UQOZdSU8ZSn10dLWJ11921LIeyGdIytzfooxg08P5rCaq4_kOCtgU3pg3k_Vd6BKlTN4FNQunsKPTtkgCA25XHhyFaO/s1600/New+Running+Shoes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYt3hpXsN_5pp0_lugtV2KvcbDw_U25_E-lnPO8WZa3wiXN99q1UQOZdSU8ZSn10dLWJ11921LIeyGdIytzfooxg08P5rCaq4_kOCtgU3pg3k_Vd6BKlTN4FNQunsKPTtkgCA25XHhyFaO/s400/New+Running+Shoes.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<s><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></s></div>
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<s>9. Find jackfruit and make something out of it.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Blogged <a href="http://www.monkandmao.com/2012/07/makin-more-progress.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></i></div>
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<s><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></s></div>
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<s>10. Wear red lipstick in public.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Blogged <a href="http://www.monkandmao.com/2012/01/progress.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></i></div>
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<s><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></s></div>
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<s>11. Bake (vegan) French macarons.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Blogged <a href="http://www.monkandmao.com/2012/07/makin-more-progress.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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12. Go to yoga class every day for 30 days. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Yoga classes are too
damn expensive for a girl with my income. Bummer. Definitely plan on fixing this once I'm back in Denver and working somewhere awesome.</span></i></div>
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<s>13. Learn how to can.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Super simple! I haven’t canned anything because
we haven't stayed in one place for more than six months and I don’t want to pack
and move food. Maybe when we settle into a place this year, I’ll get on it.</span></i></div>
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<s>14. Spend some time in front of the camera.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Shaun took pictures
of me on a few occasions. Even did a little bit of video. I’m still really
awkward in when being filmed or photographed. I have plans to work on that.</span></i></div>
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15. Read at least 15 books. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">I’m really embarrassed to say this didn’t
happen. Not even close. I read 1Q84... and a bunch of cook books. Those don’t
count.</span></i></div>
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16. Make cupcakes for Marcelo. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Didn’t spend enough time in Denver to make this happen, and cupcakes
don’t ship well. Sorry, homie.</span></i></div>
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<s>17. Fix the fan on my laptop... or just buy a new laptop.</s>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Blogged <a href="http://www.monkandmao.com/2012/01/gettin-shit-done.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></i></div>
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<s>18. Hang out on the beach.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Blogged <a href="http://www.monkandmao.com/2012/07/makin-more-progress.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></i></div>
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<s>19. Come up with a good veggie burger recipe.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">I now have a quinoa
loaf recipe that can also be made into burgers. It’s delicious, especially when
covered in mushroom gravy. </span></i></div>
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<s><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></s></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s>20. Go out to dinner by myself.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Went to Shogun. It was awkward. I was the only
customer in the entire restaurant.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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21. Draw or paint a picture of my Monk and Mao kitties. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">I printed the photos
I plan on painting. Unfortunately the canvasses stunk like mold from being
stored at Shaun’s dad’s house and we had to toss them. I’d still like to do
this.</span></i></div>
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<s><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></s></div>
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<s>22. Fix my broken chandelier.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Blogged <a href="http://www.monkandmao.com/2012/07/makin-more-progress.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></i></div>
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<s><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></s></div>
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<s>23. Stop being afraid to say no.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">I did okay on this one. I could have done
better, but I could have done a lot worse. I’m calling it a success.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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24. Make raw cupcakes. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">I started experimenting with raw recipes earlier this year
and found out I have a really hard time digesting large quantities of nuts. I
made some great raw ice cream sandwiches for Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately
most raw cupcakes are nut-heavy. Crossing this off was not worth the bellyache!</span></i></div>
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<s><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></s></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s>25. Start learning Spanish with Shaun.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Our course starts on
January 22<sup>nd</sup>! Yay!</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
26. Run 100 miles in one month. (That’s only 3.33 miles per
day!) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Spent less
time running and more time lifting weights and discovering interval training. I
finally added running back into the mix in the last few weeks, but not in time
to run 100 miles.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></s></div>
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<s>27. Get my twitter lists under control.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Blogged <a href="http://www.monkandmao.com/2012/01/gettin-shit-done.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></i></div>
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<s><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></s></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s>28. Be happy in a bikini.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">I’m so glad this happened! I even bought myself
a new bikini to celebrate since I had been wearing the same one for seven
years. And, with the way I’ve been working out, I’ll be even happier in my
bikini by the time summer gets here.</span></i></div>
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<s><span style="text-decoration: none;"><br /></span></s></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s>29. Eat a vegan corn dog.</s> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Blogged <a href="http://www.monkandmao.com/2012/07/makin-more-progress.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></i></div>
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30. Dance. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;">Most of you probably think this is weird, but I didn’t dance
at all. Not once. I don’t dance. Ever. I don’t get dancing. Music does not make
my limbs flail about. Shaun and I want to take tango lessons, but that’s
different. That’s art. Grinding and gyrating at a club? No thanks.</span></i></div>
<br />
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That's 18 out of 30. Better than last year!</div>
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I've been too sick and fevery to look at the computer for the last few days, but I'm getting better and my new list will be up soon. I'm doing things a bit differently on this next one and I'm excited to share it with you!</div>
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Happy New Year!</div>
Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-26279482197494865272012-11-13T10:49:00.000-07:002012-11-13T10:49:00.165-07:00Jellyfish CookieJust another cookie I made for the <a href="http://flour-de-lis.blogspot.com/2012/10/creative-cutters-round-one.html" target="_blank">Creative Cutters</a> contest. A shimmery jellyfish made from a baseball glove cookie cutter.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHcKaKr5fwcKL3nQbR-YrbucYUiZkrlP1rIOcomGRbyx-5k8WxBKw2ZZMuHyn6hRgRL9LFepIHzwzqcu0U1wGhyXr-lLeUDZ7YzkHEq5m8TuAGsXr_aEPsOgwp9RRKO80RvH6vWz_4oqb/s1600/Jellyfish+by+monkandmao.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHcKaKr5fwcKL3nQbR-YrbucYUiZkrlP1rIOcomGRbyx-5k8WxBKw2ZZMuHyn6hRgRL9LFepIHzwzqcu0U1wGhyXr-lLeUDZ7YzkHEq5m8TuAGsXr_aEPsOgwp9RRKO80RvH6vWz_4oqb/s640/Jellyfish+by+monkandmao.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-9861562984440525652012-11-12T13:11:00.000-07:002012-11-12T13:11:21.148-07:00Creative CuttersYeah, yeah. I know you haven't seen me here in a while. Sorry about that. Will you forgive me if I give you a cookie? I thought so! <br />
<br />
Samantha at <a href="http://flour-de-lis.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Flour-De-Lis</a> and a few of her talented cookie-making friends are having a Creative Cutters contest. The objective is to use a baseball glove cookie cutter to create a cookie that <i>isn't</i> a baseball glove. Sounds fun, right?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nMZkrwSxThL-KrItLsawn2JxM7Rni1LNTarpcYUHuIJmtkjp4QWCnewcqCIctm0EobiKIxLl1c251kKwGuRdVHVMcS3_SfwdzljYyfkzGJH1a8yXjW99meLoLBKiE1LLKrQ-mSjJvaOw/s1600/Indian+Princess+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nMZkrwSxThL-KrItLsawn2JxM7Rni1LNTarpcYUHuIJmtkjp4QWCnewcqCIctm0EobiKIxLl1c251kKwGuRdVHVMcS3_SfwdzljYyfkzGJH1a8yXjW99meLoLBKiE1LLKrQ-mSjJvaOw/s640/Indian+Princess+01.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
I didn't have the cookie cutter, so I printed a picture of it, cut it out, and traced it onto a piece of paper a few times. Then I started sketching. This is what I came up with. I was inspired by traditional American Indian princess tattoos. I had no idea if it would actually work as a cookie, but I had nothing to lose. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnmY5L_2eTpEGYHSvVLztFGlNqoUsnkPUPzheo0pUN5OmeeCkAhiCZgJ2Vcii5YiMuWXN0PKLobduH0IeAFZ-xqR-XYE81zIpgK8dDhimOcGIVmPcJ09OAq4eBmlXIt8Nb44Hm7J_BPhs/s1600/Indian+Princess+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnmY5L_2eTpEGYHSvVLztFGlNqoUsnkPUPzheo0pUN5OmeeCkAhiCZgJ2Vcii5YiMuWXN0PKLobduH0IeAFZ-xqR-XYE81zIpgK8dDhimOcGIVmPcJ09OAq4eBmlXIt8Nb44Hm7J_BPhs/s640/Indian+Princess+02.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
Once the (hand-cut!) cookies were baked, I traced the basic outlines of my sketch onto tracing paper and transferred it to my cookie using a needle to gently carve around the edge of my template. The inside lines were then poked through the template onto the cookie. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQWR7zOAxbEykBQn7g3pTAWxgEiKEcxSBkKXH_zai49rMvggPnlJcM0_m1GBp97-hKOjsbBldE1Mqt8Xrx_p1QaVIAi5sjC6uLOkRlRMIbjCo6-PgO3I2ahnno2NJDMrW0qtcAG6exFkp/s1600/Indian+Princess+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQWR7zOAxbEykBQn7g3pTAWxgEiKEcxSBkKXH_zai49rMvggPnlJcM0_m1GBp97-hKOjsbBldE1Mqt8Xrx_p1QaVIAi5sjC6uLOkRlRMIbjCo6-PgO3I2ahnno2NJDMrW0qtcAG6exFkp/s640/Indian+Princess+05.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
Time to outline! This was done with my usual vegan royal icing and a number 2 tip.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0TNjQisbC7cZRLcVw7TxFBq8LST8fYYhHTs3WO1sDeE0vTCrmRGe6V6hPt-JWUWXj0IyFTpEwmPuaaMpXsi5DVOMBzXc4RCIpj2wQCWikh-5rJCxfUl1xt1oJzVSAD9WCdJrCxYj6nB-/s1600/Indian+Princess+06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0TNjQisbC7cZRLcVw7TxFBq8LST8fYYhHTs3WO1sDeE0vTCrmRGe6V6hPt-JWUWXj0IyFTpEwmPuaaMpXsi5DVOMBzXc4RCIpj2wQCWikh-5rJCxfUl1xt1oJzVSAD9WCdJrCxYj6nB-/s640/Indian+Princess+06.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
I was excited to try to make the feathered headdress look feathery, but I didn't take the time to thin my white icing. Big mistake. At least I learned that wet-on-wet doesn't work when the icing dries really fast. Bummer.<br />
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I filled the other sections with my chosen colors, and ended up denting the blue and the skin color because I wasn't being careful. Luckily both dents were in areas that were going to be covered once the details were added. I let this dry for almost a full 24 hours.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6aqvHQmuorpuCg3ISo4zYLfMzzbD17mzPjbwIDGhIvijD8Hs1kalJxFnWTn3sVRH9jkTL8zrC9JnIVSE17YzQTWQIlct-w0jzgWoQwDmV8APdkfiCuC8J8p3kDsNzzB5AeNlPwOpBD37/s1600/Indian+Princess+08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6aqvHQmuorpuCg3ISo4zYLfMzzbD17mzPjbwIDGhIvijD8Hs1kalJxFnWTn3sVRH9jkTL8zrC9JnIVSE17YzQTWQIlct-w0jzgWoQwDmV8APdkfiCuC8J8p3kDsNzzB5AeNlPwOpBD37/s400/Indian+Princess+08.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The next evening, I was ready to add the details. I traced her face onto the paper template from the day before, poking needle holes in the lines as a guide, and transferring the pokes to the cookie. Then I made the black icing. I spent a good 30 minutes getting it to a good piping consistency. I wanted her face to look amazing! I practiced piping on a piece of tracing paper placed over my drawing. Once I was happy with the way it looked, I moved on to the cookie. This was done with a number 1 tip.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasgZGRWLhOpGwIvkfzmE7Z_by8-qqHz4AL2s9RXaF8SHNo9lIT_ex1FaIqAO7J6sVt-5ldFKCMT5fnL7gZ6F4ifBz-SP-3vemGHkfRhyfd-CPeLtqy0acTt1zAyazEQjKx_Pa_ImsP3aV/s1600/Indian+Princess+09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgasgZGRWLhOpGwIvkfzmE7Z_by8-qqHz4AL2s9RXaF8SHNo9lIT_ex1FaIqAO7J6sVt-5ldFKCMT5fnL7gZ6F4ifBz-SP-3vemGHkfRhyfd-CPeLtqy0acTt1zAyazEQjKx_Pa_ImsP3aV/s640/Indian+Princess+09.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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More linework, freehanded based on my drawing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kAnZa9P6jCPph4-x5vb1mue1CT-Bj8sTKeBbmI9_YFqRYFN3ueWFu3Adw38e7jCpj_UCMyeMEHa41P-MpQ2RNus8yrBQxh9yWxdN02cFSJXjKI4aCZq3YsmH9olpbSOQOoCAttGNBHAL/s1600/Indian+Princess+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5kAnZa9P6jCPph4-x5vb1mue1CT-Bj8sTKeBbmI9_YFqRYFN3ueWFu3Adw38e7jCpj_UCMyeMEHa41P-MpQ2RNus8yrBQxh9yWxdN02cFSJXjKI4aCZq3YsmH9olpbSOQOoCAttGNBHAL/s640/Indian+Princess+10.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Finally, I filled the braid and headpiece, and piped her lips.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdkXN91w90lsus9bX_efUq0oVuERUeCLMeLuPBYP7FOPalXmyfG_R5ilaUuIJh7uV38cpbSj4HLXFYBaRZaHVob8LSNj_ToftyefMDLjEKj777jvBt-K53ODtH2XuM8rFOBCzuNV7ewnw/s1600/Indian+Princess+Finished+Detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdkXN91w90lsus9bX_efUq0oVuERUeCLMeLuPBYP7FOPalXmyfG_R5ilaUuIJh7uV38cpbSj4HLXFYBaRZaHVob8LSNj_ToftyefMDLjEKj777jvBt-K53ODtH2XuM8rFOBCzuNV7ewnw/s640/Indian+Princess+Finished+Detail.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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My original drawing included red shading across her nose and cheeks because I saw that in a lot of the tattoos I used as reference. I was too lazy to go to the store to get red luster dust, but I'm still pretty happy with the way she looks. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaetkSnvCtZ6mBD-cBV8GCpGuTuO_3OHS6bAThVtx3Pv8R9Nn_4v30qyV63j7OcjR3OvYwoKTbClBWprBVf9lKAgOQhdU40CA6vJJ9IA6mjrvotPnqDjpDc3ydbDx7WKTjjRc_nB_PaWR/s1600/Indian+Princess+by+monkandmao.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaetkSnvCtZ6mBD-cBV8GCpGuTuO_3OHS6bAThVtx3Pv8R9Nn_4v30qyV63j7OcjR3OvYwoKTbClBWprBVf9lKAgOQhdU40CA6vJJ9IA6mjrvotPnqDjpDc3ydbDx7WKTjjRc_nB_PaWR/s640/Indian+Princess+by+monkandmao.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
What do you think? Would you do anything differently? I'm still new to the cookie world, so any advice is appreciated. Hopefully I'll win the Creative Cutters contest and have more cookie cutters and goodies to practice with. I can't wait to see the other entries!Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-66478736209226568762012-07-25T17:34:00.004-06:002012-12-31T23:02:35.364-07:00Makin' More Progress<div style="color: black;">
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I've accomplished a few more things from my "30 Before 31" list.</div>
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<s>9. Find jackfruit and make
something out of it.</s> </div>
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This wasn't really photo-worthy. I found jackfruit at Pacific Ocean and turned it into "pulled pork" for tacos. It looked really meaty. The taste was pretty boring. That's what I get for following a random internet recipe instead of just winging it. I should know better. I might try again one day, but I wasn't really impressed with the texture or anything, so it's not high on my list of priorities.</div>
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<s>11. Bake (vegan) French
macarons.</s></div>
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I had plenty of free time while I was in Utah, so I thought I'd give these a try. I used the recipe from Hanna Kaminsky's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Desserts-Sumptuous-Sweets-Season/dp/1616082208/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1343258104&sr=8-3&keywords=hannah+kaminsky" target="_blank">Vegan Desserts</a>. The cookies almost worked, but they spread too much. They tasted like egg replacer. I didn't bother making the filling because the cookies were crappy, and I really have no desire to try these again.</div>
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<s>18. Hang out on the beach.</s></div>
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Shaun and I ran off to San Diego back in February. We needed a trip to the beach. $80 round trip tickets to San Diego? $60 beachfront <a href="http://obhotel.com/" target="_blank">hotel room</a>? Um, yes.</div>
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I didn't take many pictures because I was too busy practicing my beach bum skills. I'm not sorry about it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wl0BBy-04e-eHEWnbWe2NV0SjT_1qDinWQ4_knd1oqHipPKEsHV1ALUNTN7CZfEhJQRu0jXIcMpWIJNS4fMTsND8aVtkh31reSfog2uLcssaJJqYfxLreOdT8WqI51EIDqISwWTkMm3u/s1600/San+Diego+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2wl0BBy-04e-eHEWnbWe2NV0SjT_1qDinWQ4_knd1oqHipPKEsHV1ALUNTN7CZfEhJQRu0jXIcMpWIJNS4fMTsND8aVtkh31reSfog2uLcssaJJqYfxLreOdT8WqI51EIDqISwWTkMm3u/s640/San+Diego+1.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWr_8i8aYU9ywcHmxgTsvhY7wTpWNv-RGubplNcS_zCnBUPm4LTHzDU2iKNyhQ3eZqJuYAbHlBiz1yT1NqgIO7y7MWR7Tf0czTMzcAeCltTr2GgUcjFzWSUTBjyjik-7TGztq_EEyAx6Kw/s1600/San+Diego+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWr_8i8aYU9ywcHmxgTsvhY7wTpWNv-RGubplNcS_zCnBUPm4LTHzDU2iKNyhQ3eZqJuYAbHlBiz1yT1NqgIO7y7MWR7Tf0czTMzcAeCltTr2GgUcjFzWSUTBjyjik-7TGztq_EEyAx6Kw/s640/San+Diego+2.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwi3sM0fIW9Ah1gz2Yc9jenJrKvdxspoQklqG8-cPUd34aIhUxrwmjDrjVwdB7ld6Z5ZM95vROAf79FqcM009vJ5-rD5UQjrrJQd7TJ_kY2LsPPljk09G4qz7UL2zDe9XAK7wwzJtfovO/s1600/San+Diego+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXwi3sM0fIW9Ah1gz2Yc9jenJrKvdxspoQklqG8-cPUd34aIhUxrwmjDrjVwdB7ld6Z5ZM95vROAf79FqcM009vJ5-rD5UQjrrJQd7TJ_kY2LsPPljk09G4qz7UL2zDe9XAK7wwzJtfovO/s640/San+Diego+3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<s>22. Fix my broken
chandelier.</s></div>
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I dug it out of the box to fix it. Turns out it wasn't really fixable. Bummer. Off to the thrift store it went.</div>
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<s>29. Eat a vegan corn dog.</s></div>
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I was SO excited for this one. I ended up at Sputnik one night and saw that they had tofu corndogs. I giddily ordered one. I dipped it in mustard, stuck it in my mouth...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSz3XUptXQOeOIhB6Qjxbyu-NvHhyo26vUhwHTyr5pMM2ZMOuptuoFu9027E_3TidQICSWl5LWrU6fd-oRaKyECEPdIPaISPQ22kZX6jr14f_cycPuIWd2SvbA9Z2bJyCrJdhCSkzu3b5/s1600/corn+daaaaaawg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSz3XUptXQOeOIhB6Qjxbyu-NvHhyo26vUhwHTyr5pMM2ZMOuptuoFu9027E_3TidQICSWl5LWrU6fd-oRaKyECEPdIPaISPQ22kZX6jr14f_cycPuIWd2SvbA9Z2bJyCrJdhCSkzu3b5/s400/corn+daaaaaawg.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
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...and was really disappointed. It was flavorless tofu dipped in flavorless batter. At least I can cross it off my list. And I have an awesome new twitter avatar, thanks to <a href="http://www.craftninjas.net/" target="_blank">Becky</a>.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
I have some pretty cool stuff coming up. Most likely opening the <a href="http://monkandmao.etsy.com/" target="_blank">Monk and Mao</a> Etsy shop again. Doing some gypsying. Hanging out with cats. You know. I'll try to blog about it. Not that anyone actually reads this. Buttholes.</div>
Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-22715883996251977162012-01-17T09:00:00.000-07:002012-01-17T09:00:05.923-07:00Mmm. Tea.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><strike><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">2. Go to the teahouse in Boulder again.</span></strike><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">We took a little trip up to Boulder on New Year's Day. We planned on hanging out at the <a href="http://www.boulderteahouse.com/" target="_blank">Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse</a> just for some tea-drinking, but I was really excited to see that the menu offered vegan options so we ordered food, too. I had the </span><strong style="font-weight: normal;">Persian Chickpea Kufteh, which was </strong>chickpea balls with herbs & spices, a really delicious Persian tomato sauce, sautéed spinach and a pomegranate reduction. <strong style="font-weight: normal;">It was good, but too much of the same thing. SO MANY BREAD BALL THINGIES. I think if I ever ordered it again, I'd ask for more spinach and fewer balls. </strong><br />
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<strong style="font-weight: normal;"></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2m8Mjk3qQHcD6LPl1Q-k2ERr2QM5O8TO8Q5t9nwVdxoDaJFOZkwgObuD6Pq0MYPKVYHL9PW-PfQsFzddlBlaqG364WySKCd-LiM6QzY8oHtrx82oIQb90SfX5NMUNfDPsFmWzsK2vrbN-/s1600/Teahouse+1+Cropped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2m8Mjk3qQHcD6LPl1Q-k2ERr2QM5O8TO8Q5t9nwVdxoDaJFOZkwgObuD6Pq0MYPKVYHL9PW-PfQsFzddlBlaqG364WySKCd-LiM6QzY8oHtrx82oIQb90SfX5NMUNfDPsFmWzsK2vrbN-/s320/Teahouse+1+Cropped.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong style="font-weight: normal;">Ha. Fewer balls.</strong>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-49907507464542484072012-01-12T09:04:00.002-07:002012-01-12T09:28:30.063-07:00Gettin' Shit Done<div style="font-family: inherit;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I've knocked a couple more things off of my list in the last week or so. I'm really, really, really excited about number 17. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><s>17.
Fix the fan on my laptop... or just buy a new laptop.</s></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
After a little bit of research, I was able to take my laptop apart, fix
the rattling fan, and put the laptop back together. The best part? I
used duct tape to fix the fan. Yeah, really.
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><s>27.
Get my twitter lists under control.</s></span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
This was actually fun once I got started. I have lists for Denver people, vegan friends, and a couple other private lists. The private ones seem to be the lists I pay the most attention to, and I think my interactions with people have improved since I started using lists. That was the point. Success!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I've been working really hard on making "28. Be happy in a bikini." happen. I haven't been running as much as I'd like to. It's cold and snowy outside, and my treadmill went to treadmill heaven. BUT! I went back to practicing yoga! Classes leave me too sore to start thinking about taking daily classes... yet. I'm also participating in the <a href="http://www.bodyrock.tv/2012/01/02/day-1-of-our-30-day-challenge-fit-test/" target="_blank">BodyRock.tv 30 Day Challenge</a>. It's kicking my butt and I love it. Most importantly, I'm doing it all with the help of <a href="http://www.claudialailhacar.ca/" target="_blank">Claudia Lailhacar</a>. Her emails have already made a big difference in the way I train and the way I fuel my workouts. I'm eating really well and working hard. I can't wait to see where I'm at in a month, and I'm pretty sure I'll look AMAZING by summer!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This year has been productive already. <b>What have you recently crossed off of your To Do list?</b></span>
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<br /></div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-77392108072994375502012-01-06T09:00:00.001-07:002012-01-06T09:00:15.649-07:00ProgressLast night I went out with my friend Johnny for his birthday. We've been friends since we were 15-year-old goth kids, so we decided to celebrate by going to goth night at the Church. Our group made up half of the population at the club, which was pretty sad considering our group was Johnny, Jon, Joey, Nate and me. Still, we had a blast, and I knocked something off my list!<br />
<br />
<strike>10.
Wear red lipstick in public.</strike><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0I0juJV2xFIL7XUgCEeJ-xINzGSkhOKSltac2cwPY5ISyhRwcuQS4I1_YbB1uRh8FgF2as6r4iEzBvauhLmEfzs3dINJaNE5iaNBn_0oWWHXfuWP0ceDqIx8qWBYdv1B8oZLNuSgqOLy/s1600/Red+Lips.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0I0juJV2xFIL7XUgCEeJ-xINzGSkhOKSltac2cwPY5ISyhRwcuQS4I1_YbB1uRh8FgF2as6r4iEzBvauhLmEfzs3dINJaNE5iaNBn_0oWWHXfuWP0ceDqIx8qWBYdv1B8oZLNuSgqOLy/s320/Red+Lips.JPG" width="319" /></a></div>
<br />
Pretty sure red lipstick is going to become a regular part of my life. I want more! I might head over to the MAC store and try some out. <b>Any others I should try? What's your favorite red lipstick?</b><br />Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-73590066215945540232012-01-03T09:04:00.001-07:002012-01-06T09:00:40.140-07:0030 Before 31<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have to say, my 30th birthday was one of the best so far. I woke up to <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/monkandmao/media/slideshow?url=http%3A%2F%2Flockerz.com%2Fs%2F169849259" target="_blank">three grey hairs</a> and gifts on the table. My darling Shaun gave me a flask and some super cute kitty measuring cups! I'm one lucky broad.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-wR0DFGWUEczQymQipZHooZDiIMENjYT3kryhHgZZYI3kPhVfy5fe2o-PkVA3n1LYCH5qrBlpPucAawnG-bO2rkxnc2KVoJXJOxivC0ygVDQLbEa0F-lKpasQ4WnVbgr3_7gm0mBp2qi/s1600/Cat+Measuring+Cups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-wR0DFGWUEczQymQipZHooZDiIMENjYT3kryhHgZZYI3kPhVfy5fe2o-PkVA3n1LYCH5qrBlpPucAawnG-bO2rkxnc2KVoJXJOxivC0ygVDQLbEa0F-lKpasQ4WnVbgr3_7gm0mBp2qi/s320/Cat+Measuring+Cups.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not my photo, obviously. Get these through <a href="http://www.modcloth.com/shop/kitchen-decor/meow-for-measuring-cups" target="_blank">ModCloth</a>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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Now, on to the list. I wanted to put this up on my birthday, but I ended up running <a href="http://monkandmao.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-did-it.html" target="_blank">my little half marathon</a>, then running around like a crazy lady to get things
prepped for my birthday get-together, which turned out to be SO MUCH FUN. Totally worth my first hangover in years. Thank goodness for coconut water and Denver's best vegan pho from <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-95-denver" target="_blank">Pho 95</a>!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Aaaaaand... here are 30 things I'm going to do before I turn 31.</div>
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<br /></div>
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1.
Ride a motorcycle.</div>
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2.
Go to the teahouse in Boulder
again.</div>
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3.
Sew my own lingerie. Undies for sure.
Possibly something else, too.</div>
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4.
Try pad thai.</div>
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5.
Go on a 90 day spending fast.</div>
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6.
Fire a gun.</div>
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7.
Make sourdough bread (with my great uncle Ken’s recipe, if anyone still has it).</div>
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8.
Buy new running shoes.</div>
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9.
Find jackfruit and make something out of it.</div>
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10.
Wear red lipstick in public.</div>
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11.
Bake (vegan) French macarons.</div>
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12.
Go to yoga class every day for 30 days.</div>
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13.
Learn how to can.</div>
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14.
Spend some time in front of the camera.</div>
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15.
Read at least 15 books.</div>
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16.
Make cupcakes for Marcelo.</div>
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17.
Fix the fan on my laptop... or just buy a new laptop.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
18.
Hang out on the beach.</div>
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19.
Come up with a good veggie burger recipe.</div>
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20.
Go out to dinner by myself.</div>
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21.
Draw or paint a picture of my Monk and Mao kitties.</div>
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22.
Fix my broken chandelier.</div>
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23.
Stop being afraid to say no.</div>
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24.
Make raw cupcakes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
25.
Start learning Spanish with Shaun.</div>
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26.
Run 100 miles in one month. (That’s only 3.33 miles per day!)</div>
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27.
Get my twitter lists under control.</div>
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28.
Be happy in a bikini.</div>
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29.
Eat a vegan corn dog.</div>
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30.
Dance.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I'm excited for every single thing on the list. This year is going to be tits!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>What about you? How are you going to change your life this year? </b></div>
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<br /></div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-30669184723269046102011-12-30T14:37:00.000-07:002012-01-03T09:02:33.895-07:00I did it!<div class="entry-description">
Holy shit. I did it. Back when I said I was going to run my own
little birthday half marathon, I kind of doubted I would follow through with it.
But I did it. Wow. <span class="workout-distance">13.34
<span class="workout-distance-units">mi</span></span>les in
<span class="workout-time">02:36:09, done!</span><br />
<br />
I felt great up until mile 7, so I stopped and took a gel and walked a
bit. My feet started hurting around mile 9. Mostly my big toes on both
feet. Nothing I couldn't handle. Then, running around the lake at mile
10, I crossed paths with a woman walking her blue-eyed white kitty.
Obviously I HAD to stop. Kitty's name is Milo. He's deaf and sweet and
brave. I stopped and snuggled him again at mile 11. Both breaks were
much appreciated and made it possible for me to finish strong. Kitties
make everything better.<br />
<br />
Now... Food. Water. And ice. What a way to spend my 30th birthday!<br />
</div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-76716368019969770622011-12-29T07:00:00.000-07:002012-01-06T09:01:01.244-07:0029 Things To Do Before 30 - Final<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here it is. This year went a lot better than last year, with more than half of my goals getting crossed off. I'm pretty sure being unemployed since January helped. So much free time!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<s>1.
Start tattoo work on my right arm.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">Hell yes.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GvK810uCyFjeyIqAwvNFknpSvv2AzJZuS9xTBpic5-J0zgD4l88cUGxFUUbmLhFrCOxVY3GW3_lexCuWhYPxzTghYmKIeox6zUN6IdIiSa4G9V5FI-xWt1l4H-JrP5ymVzjAzkZB2zh1/s1600/Arm-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GvK810uCyFjeyIqAwvNFknpSvv2AzJZuS9xTBpic5-J0zgD4l88cUGxFUUbmLhFrCOxVY3GW3_lexCuWhYPxzTghYmKIeox6zUN6IdIiSa4G9V5FI-xWt1l4H-JrP5ymVzjAzkZB2zh1/s320/Arm-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<s>2.
Get my website up.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">Did this times three!</span></i></div>
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<br />
3.
Volunteer at least 100 hours at <a href="http://www.arascolorado.org/">ARAS
Colorado</a>. <span style="color: red;"><i>Nope. Did maybe 20 hours. I let the
kitties down.</i></span><span style="color: red; font-family: Wingdings;"></span></div>
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<br />
4.
Try absinthe. <i><span style="color: red;">Not yet.</span></i></div>
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<br />
5.
Go on a 90 day spending fast. <i><span style="color: red;">This definitely still
needs to be done. Adding it to next year’s list!</span></i></div>
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<br />
<s>6.
Enter a photo contest.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">Entered the Cowboys and
Indians photo contest for my mom. I obviously didn’t win, but I’m going to try
again next year.</span></i></div>
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<br />
<s>7.
Publish a blurb book.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">Made my sister a cookbook
full of my food photos and favorite recipes.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8.
Make a pair of flats. <i><span style="color: red;">Started to plan this one, but never did it. I'll probably keep this on the list.</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s>9.
Host a dinner party with Shaun.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">Forced Shaun’s
family to enjoy a vegan Christmas Eve dinner at our place. Shaun did 90% of the cooking, but we planned it together!</span></i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
<s>10.
Make a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Monk-and-Mao-Photography/153920127993717">Monk
and Mao Photography Facebook page</a>.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">Did it, then
took it down when I got burnt out.</span></i></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<s>11.
Learn to screenprint.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">Did this in February thanks to
<a href="http://craftninjas.net/2011/02/05/denver-craft-ninjas-vs-ink-lounge/" target="_blank">Denver Craft Ninjas</a> and Ink Lounge.</span></i></div>
<i><span style="color: red;"></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
12.
Go to yoga class every day for 60 days. <i><span style="color: red;">Thought about
this one a lot, but just couldn’t cough up $90-$100 for monthly membership. That’s
a big chunk of my income. Anyone want to sponsor this one? I’m only half
kidding!</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
<s>13.
Read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wind-Up-Bird-Chronicle-Novel/dp/0679775439/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294703694&sr=8-1">The
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle</a>.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">Love you, Mr. Murakami.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
<s>14.
Make something functional.</s> <span style="color: red;"><i>I made a scarf!</i><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dvhWkZ6Ygi2QaWHolCNubsPntphOgNdEo9_UrYhEQXPYNE-iLQ75RBWtQbwsCgGl0BDLbHTUQnmcI1PrIVOBeh9jj4f1QISshzoW2wMigg3RtNJKF-wAvfJJgqMGocDF6TYpz1CMS-XW/s1600/05.11+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6dvhWkZ6Ygi2QaWHolCNubsPntphOgNdEo9_UrYhEQXPYNE-iLQ75RBWtQbwsCgGl0BDLbHTUQnmcI1PrIVOBeh9jj4f1QISshzoW2wMigg3RtNJKF-wAvfJJgqMGocDF6TYpz1CMS-XW/s320/05.11+003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
<s>15.
Learn how to do 10 things in Photoshop.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">I don’t
actually use Photoshop. I’ve been using GIMP and I’ve definitely learned how to
do 10 fun things with it. That counts, right?</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
16.
Paint my dresser white. <i><span style="color: red;">It’s in my closet with a can of
white paint sitting on top. It almost happened.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
<s>17.
Get my picture taken in a photo booth.</s> <span style="color: red;"><i>Yep. </i><span style="color: black;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEnKHIWYJQfoqsZC1uOgxuftR2swtsL1cYnD8g7s3UO2yENrH0WCpj1NBDZUDDdkUVKGKTabk1cWxoR8v2EKPrBFD2QBw02FweS_R_YgCfCrjUNQNX_tJTrpc34K_zLckGlri-tENkMUo/s1600/Photobooth-Fun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEnKHIWYJQfoqsZC1uOgxuftR2swtsL1cYnD8g7s3UO2yENrH0WCpj1NBDZUDDdkUVKGKTabk1cWxoR8v2EKPrBFD2QBw02FweS_R_YgCfCrjUNQNX_tJTrpc34K_zLckGlri-tENkMUo/s320/Photobooth-Fun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
18.
Run a 5K. <i><span style="color: red;">I ran plenty of 5Ks, but not an “official”
5K. I guess I never said it had to be official, but I’d feel like a cheater
crossing that one off.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
19.
Shoot a gun. <i><span style="color: red;">Planned on knocking this out every time I
went to Utah,
but it didn’t happen. Next year for sure!</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
<s>20.
Make tamales.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">Hell yes. Tamales are now a regular
part of our menu. Thanks, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Viva-Vegan-Authentic-Fabulous-Recipes/dp/0738212733/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324401926&sr=8-1-spell" target="_blank">Terri</a>!</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
21.
Start learning French. <i><span style="color: red;">Got Rosetta Stone but didn’t use
it. Thinking about trying Spanish first since Shaun wants to learn it with me.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
22. Have a photo shoot with Shaun. <i><span style="color: red;">Apparently we were too busy taking photos of each other to take photos of ourselves together.Oops.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
<s>23.
Figure out how to make awesome vegan beignets</s>. <i><span style="color: red;">I
mastered fried donuts & donut holes. I call that a success.</span></i><span style="color: black;"></span><i><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlvPODeceRKHqCp6hTuotTEijMBLcPm_c9z0GR7FJmANdvWiyZ37rNTM1LT8ezDwDZN6rdFBKV1vdJIX_JjUyl3YMUb0Q1qcuX6LJVGkv_XVr3CpOD66Wu9P8-7YgRzIWl82zLdTEn9Zl/s1600/06.11+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlvPODeceRKHqCp6hTuotTEijMBLcPm_c9z0GR7FJmANdvWiyZ37rNTM1LT8ezDwDZN6rdFBKV1vdJIX_JjUyl3YMUb0Q1qcuX6LJVGkv_XVr3CpOD66Wu9P8-7YgRzIWl82zLdTEn9Zl/s320/06.11+010.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
24.
Build a snowman.<i style="color: red;"> I kind of hate doing anything that involves being cold.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
<s>25.
Get a paid photography job.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">Got quite a few of them
and met some awesome ladies.</span></i><s> </s></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
26.
Run 100 miles in 1 month. <i><span style="color: red;">I was on track to get this
done, then I screwed my knee up and have been taking it easy with only 15-20
miles a week since. Might try again next year.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
27.
Eat something I’ve grown. <i><span style="color: red;">I was too scared to plant
anything in the yard at the shithole house we lived in for most of the year because
the landlord was a huge fan of scary chemical shit. I did get to eat a whole
bunch of stuff my neighbor grew, but that doesn’t count.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
<s>28.
Take boudoir photos of a friend.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">Did a handful of
these and completely fell in love with it.</span> </i><object height="300" width="400"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Filovemonkandmao%2Fsets%2F72157626205310730%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Filovemonkandmao%2Fsets%2F72157626205310730%2F&set_id=72157626205310730&jump_to=">
</param>
<param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615">
</param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true">
</param>
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Filovemonkandmao%2Fsets%2F72157626205310730%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Filovemonkandmao%2Fsets%2F72157626205310730%2F&set_id=72157626205310730&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
<s>29.
Do SOMETHING with the <a href="http://monkandmao.blogspot.com/search/label/f.l.e.d.">Find Love Every Day</a>
idea.</s> <i><span style="color: red;">It’s in the works. More on this soon.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black;">So that's 16 out of 29. Better than <a href="http://monkandmao.blogspot.com/2011/01/belated-birthday-post.html" target="_blank">last year</a>! (That links to a post I wrote four days before I was laid off in January. All that talk about being too poor? Yeah, I had no idea what "too poor" meant compared to the way things have been since then. Still, I'm happier and a lot less stressed than I was when I was making six figures. Mo' money, mo' problems!)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Time to go enjoy the last day of my twenties. I'll be back tomorrow with 30 Things To Do Before 31! </span><i><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: red;">
<br /></div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-72300659754490656482011-12-20T09:35:00.000-07:002011-12-20T09:35:02.322-07:00Almost ThereMy birthday is coming up on the 30th. I'm already having a mini freakout because I'm going to be 30 and have no idea what I'm doing with my life. It seems like every time I think I've figured out what I'm supposed to do, I lose interest and it becomes not so fun. I love my hobbies until strangers want to pay me for them. What kind of shit is that?<br />
<br />
With that said, I'm considering getting back into boudoir photography. I absolutely loved it until I had a pair of clients who turned into complete weirdos and kept trying to get three times what they paid for. Maybe I just need to be less of a wimp and say no once in a while.<br />
<br />
On a happier note, I'm so ridiculously lucky to have such a supportive, hilarious, handsome man in my life and I'm really excited to see what 2012 has in store for us. We have big plans. We just don't quite know what they are yet. Lots of travel and visits with friends and family, for sure.<br />
<br />
I'm looking forward to sharing the final update to my 29 Things To Do Before 30 list next week. Any ideas for my next list? What should I do while I'm 30?Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-48328739423776263222011-09-01T08:15:00.000-06:002011-09-08T19:16:12.395-06:00Some Hippie Shit<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSnWlc4v7wid8njcMwAV59j41HoHjczdf7yQJakCY3iEWEncYb5_TOGtjoBgk9QwsdWg9ip9Q-pwNs5qS_kkABIItpc4tVPRhGvx_bmbcsiIT7XeB6f94iFmgdb8FgHHE3elTsFztvq5E/s1600/08.11+003.jpg">
</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I've been
back from the <a href="http://www.vidavegancon.com/">Vida Vegan Blogger Conference</a> for a couple days (which was too
overwhelming and amazing and magical to even start to blog about), and I'm
working on getting back to eating healthy foods and reasonable portions of
them. We're flying to Seattle
tonight and I wanted a little something to take on the plane with me so I'm not
starving and tempted to eat something naughty as soon as we land. Granola bars
sounded like a good idea, mostly because I'm secretly a damn hippie, but also
because they’re portable and a whole lot better for me than most airport and
post-airport-omg-I’m-starving options. Or so I thought.<br />
<br />
The hunt for a recipe began. I googled "healthy granola bar recipe"
and the results were crap. Apparently it's cool for people to label something
as being healthy even though it contains 225 calories and 15+ grams of sugar
per serving. Brown rice syrup AND maple syrup AND a shitload of oil AND tons of
chocolate chips? Yeah, no thanks. How is this any different from a candy bar?<br />
<br />
I went to twitter and asked my genius friends for advice. I wanted lower-calorie,
low-sugar, nutrition-packed bars. What should I use to sweeten them? What
should I use as a binder? Nicole at <a href="http://epicurvegan.com/%20">Epicurvegan</a> suggested dates for
both. Perfect! I decided to use ground flax seed as well, since I only had four
dates on hand and had no plans to change out of my pajamas and go to the store.
I gathered whatever other random ingredients sounded good and this is what I
came up with:</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost"><b>Healthy-ish Granola Bars</b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">4 dates</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/4 c
raisins</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">2 1/2 c just
boiled water</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 c
ground flax seed</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">2 tbsp vegan
margarine (I used Earth Balance), melted</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">2 c rolled oats</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 c raw
cashews</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 c
slivered almonds</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/4 c
pepitas</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 c shredded
unsweetened coconut</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 c unsweetened
applesauce</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 tsp
salt</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 tsp vanilla
extract</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 tbsp
instant coffee granules (This is the amount I used, but I would suggest adding
more.)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<ol start="1" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">Preheat your
oven to 350 degrees.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<ol start="2" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">Put the
water in a sauce pan over high heat. Combine the dates (make sure there
are no pits!) and raisins in a small bowl and set aside. Measure the flax
seeds out into a separate medium-sized bowl and set aside. </span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<ol start="3" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">Layer foil
in a 9x13 baking dish and spray the inside with olive oil spray, but only
if you want to. I suppose this would work just as well without the oil
since the final result wasn’t sticky at all.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<ol start="4" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">Combine
the oats, nuts, seeds and coconut in a large bowl and transfer the mix to
the baking dish.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSnWlc4v7wid8njcMwAV59j41HoHjczdf7yQJakCY3iEWEncYb5_TOGtjoBgk9QwsdWg9ip9Q-pwNs5qS_kkABIItpc4tVPRhGvx_bmbcsiIT7XeB6f94iFmgdb8FgHHE3elTsFztvq5E/s1600/08.11+003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647278456828066114" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqSnWlc4v7wid8njcMwAV59j41HoHjczdf7yQJakCY3iEWEncYb5_TOGtjoBgk9QwsdWg9ip9Q-pwNs5qS_kkABIItpc4tVPRhGvx_bmbcsiIT7XeB6f94iFmgdb8FgHHE3elTsFztvq5E/s400/08.11+003.jpg" style="display: block; height: 266px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></span></div>
<ol start="5" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">Toast in
the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove. Stir. Toast for another 10
minutes.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<ol start="6" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">When your
water starts to boil, remove it from the heat and pour over the date and
raisin combination, just enough to cover the fruit. Place a lid over the
bowl. Let this soak while you perform the next two steps.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<ol start="7" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Pour <span class="fullpost">2/3
cup of the hot water over the flax seeds, stir to combine and set aside.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<ol start="8" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">Melt the
margarine in a small bowl in the microwave, heating it for 15 seconds at a
time until almost melted. Stir it to melt the rest of the way. Add to your
food processor along with the vanilla extract, salt and coffee granules. </span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<ol start="9" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Drain the water from the
date/raisin mixture and add the fruit to the food processor. Add
applesauce and pulse until no large chunks of dates remain.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<ol start="10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Add flax mixture to the food
processor and mix until everything is combined.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<ol start="11" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">Your dry
mix should be toasted by now. Carefully transfer the toasted mix into the
large mixing bowl.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<ol start="12" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">Pour the liquid
mixture into the mixing bowl and stir until all ingredients combined.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">Pour the
entire mixture into your lined baking dish. Smash it down with a spatula.
Spray the spatula with a little bit of olive oil if the mixture is too
sticky.</span></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">Bake at 325
degrees for 35 minutes.</span></span></li>
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">Let the
granola cool for five minutes before cutting it into 16 bars. Once cut, let
them cool for 45-60 minutes before you try to remove them from the pan. Store
them, covered, in the fridge to keep them yummy and chewy and firm.</span></span></li>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">Nutrition (per bar): 165 calories, 94 calories from fat, 10.4g
total fat, 3.0 saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 93mg sodium, 15.2g
carbohydrates, 3.5g fiber, 3.7g sugar, 4.4g protein.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">These came out pretty tasty. They’re very un-sweet, which I
like. They’re not bad on the calories and sugar, and the fiber and protein are
decent. They’re a little high in fat, but most of that comes from the nuts and
I consider that good fat.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="fullpost">I think I’ll use more dates and less flax the next time I
make these. Also, MORE COFFEE. I’ll probably double that, if not more. I’ll
update the recipe to reflect my changes once I get them figured out. Let me
know if you try these. If you like things a little sweeter, you could always add 1/4 c of chocolate chips to the mixture (chopped in a food processor if you want smaller pieces), or just melt some chocolate and drizzle it over the top as the bars cooling and refrigerate until it's firm. I hope you like these as much as I do! </span></span></div>
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</span>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-58362007505847472582011-06-22T21:01:00.008-06:002011-06-22T22:08:55.867-06:00Burritooooooo!(Please read the title in Beavis's voice. Kthx.)<br /><br />I know I haven't blogged in a while, but this is worth it. The lovely Janessa at <a href="http://epicuriousvegan.com/">Epicurious Vegan</a> is having a contest. <a href="http://epicuriousvegan.com/vida-vegan-con-test-burrito-bonanza/">A burrito contest</a>! This is probably my last chance at scoring a ticket to <a href="http://www.vidavegancon.com/">Vida Vegan Con</a> since I'm lame and didn't grab a ticket before it sold out. Cross your fingers for me!<br /><br />So, here she is. The Vegan Dessert Burrito.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRk3qsXuVOl5n3xCRgIpfz7-70cbCESximSgq5KVDfNIhTQKPxlbeQhRlyrF6UXbY1yNYDqJtnwAcNOTSjwbdBGdhZToCWHJwA1RkxUBirzpL-2yj6klu9xFP6VRKYU3xh9yHzHfZeZnf2/s1600/06.11+030.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRk3qsXuVOl5n3xCRgIpfz7-70cbCESximSgq5KVDfNIhTQKPxlbeQhRlyrF6UXbY1yNYDqJtnwAcNOTSjwbdBGdhZToCWHJwA1RkxUBirzpL-2yj6klu9xFP6VRKYU3xh9yHzHfZeZnf2/s400/06.11+030.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621246881650798450" border="0" /></a><br />Yes, really. Warm cinnamon and chili apples wrapped in a cinnamon sugar glazed tortilla, topped with vanilla So Delicious ice cream, drizzled with homemade dulce de leche (HOLY SHIT.) and sprinkled with coconut.<br /><br />For the dulce de leche, I halved a recipe I found at <a href="http://innocentprimate.wordpress.com/2008/09/07/dulce-de-lechecaramel-goodness/">Innocent Primate</a>, and used So Delicious vanilla coconut milk in place of the hemp milk. I was naughty and didn't stir my sauce as frequently as recommended because I was peeling apples and stuff. It was fine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYSpZvzGA9BqB_z1pOQ7gxWZWL3hXvlUExJGUWoaE2jg1pa1LrPSrku1uQIVlmoPPjDeMtlxNFxUGhL1qjrFTXxzgEZEbpZy6IdW5XOr2A9npx3Ge5O5W77yXXnomaGwU0OGm0yk3i0sY/s1600/06.11+013.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYSpZvzGA9BqB_z1pOQ7gxWZWL3hXvlUExJGUWoaE2jg1pa1LrPSrku1uQIVlmoPPjDeMtlxNFxUGhL1qjrFTXxzgEZEbpZy6IdW5XOr2A9npx3Ge5O5W77yXXnomaGwU0OGm0yk3i0sY/s400/06.11+013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621258821565629282" border="0" /></a><br />Once your sauce is simmering nicely, prepare the apple filling. You will need:<br /><ul><li>2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces<br /></li><li>1 c water</li><li>1 tsp ground cinnamon</li><li>1/8 to 1/4 tsp chili powder</li><li>3 star anise... pieces? cloves? What are these called?</li><li>1/4 c brown sugar</li><li>pinch of salt</li><li>1 tsp lemon juice</li></ul>Simmer the apple chunks, cinnamon, chili powder and anise in the water on medium heat until apples are fork-tender. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the apples out of the liquid and set aside.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8auIOVjU04MDPdfrdHvniImEeeBtXCUA3QfBW8i7vAHH_OuCQww8u01fL67DFeaVtNWfR1JC4Bjp2XxeTGYdOWuJryKSMoSe2_W-9BO0pYkO_AgNPOx2r90jMCA6f3T7MYmyZhuWjq0dz/s1600/06.11+022.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8auIOVjU04MDPdfrdHvniImEeeBtXCUA3QfBW8i7vAHH_OuCQww8u01fL67DFeaVtNWfR1JC4Bjp2XxeTGYdOWuJryKSMoSe2_W-9BO0pYkO_AgNPOx2r90jMCA6f3T7MYmyZhuWjq0dz/s400/06.11+022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621260030593343378" border="0" /></a><br />Measure out 1/4 c of the remaining liquid and discard the rest. Mix the 1/4 c liquid, brown sugar, salt and lemon juice and cook over low heat. Stir frequently. Bring it to a simmer, then add apples and remove from heat.<br /><br />Your apple mixture should be done around the same time as your dulce de leche. When these are ready, it's time to fry up a tortilla. I used some sort of super healthy high-fiber whole wheat tortilla because I'm watching what I eat. Ha.<br /><br />For the cinnamon sugar tortilla, melt 1/2 tsp Earth Balance in a skillet over medium heat. when it's nice and bubbly, add your tortilla. Cook 1-2 minutes, then flip it. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the glistening tortilla, then remove from heat, flip, and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the other side.<br /><br />Time to assemble your burrito! Place a few scoops of ice cream down the middle of your tortilla. So Delicious vanilla coconut milk ice cream was perfect for this. Spoon warm apples and their sauce over the ice cream. Roll that baby up and put it on your plate. Drizzle more of the apple syrup over the burrito, like green chili, only awesomer. Plop a scoop of ice cream on top, then drizzle the whole thing with the caramely dulce de leche. I recommend using a lot because it's freaking yummy. Sprinkle with shredded coconut. Now, EAT IT.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TdMrnNP6_ePko3YpXaO0S8CNtW6UeOKSHoQv7aWSkB9NwHXg53rG_X9yRG0c4HjhXtdRDD0xWcDxDC3kP3GH4osbiC3Low7ILRVAO_9ddIJ5b4fcQe5xA1SGHShkF2VKYj6lDTjW-kbb/s1600/06.11+037.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2TdMrnNP6_ePko3YpXaO0S8CNtW6UeOKSHoQv7aWSkB9NwHXg53rG_X9yRG0c4HjhXtdRDD0xWcDxDC3kP3GH4osbiC3Low7ILRVAO_9ddIJ5b4fcQe5xA1SGHShkF2VKYj6lDTjW-kbb/s400/06.11+037.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621258812475810146" border="0" /></a><br />I would definitely make one of these again, but I would probably toast the coconut, and I'd want two or three people to share the burrito with me. I only got through about a third of it. Don't think I couldn't easily finish the whole thing myself, of course. I'm just working on practicing that one thing. You know. It's called, um, self-something. Self... control? Yeah! That's the stuff!Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-89659049802191090962011-04-22T11:21:00.003-06:002011-04-22T12:45:14.047-06:0029 Things To Do Before 30 Update!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">Yeah, I know I said I was going to update this thing every month. Have I ever been a consistent blogger? Didn't think so. At least I've done a third of the things on my list!<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">29 Things To Do Before 30<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><s>1. Start tattoo work on my right arm.<br /></s></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><s>2. Get my website up.</s></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">3. Volunteer at least 100 hours at <a href="http://www.arascolorado.org/">ARAS Colorado</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">4. Try absinthe.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">5. Go on a 90 day spending fast.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">6. Enter a photo contest.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><s>7. Publish a blurb book.</s></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">8. Make a pair of flats.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">9. Host a dinner party with Shaun.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><s>10. Make a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Monk-and-Mao-Photography/153920127993717">Monk and Mao Photography Facebook page</a>.</s></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><s>11. Learn to screenprint. </s></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">12. Go to yoga class every day for 60 days.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><s>13. Read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wind-Up-Bird-Chronicle-Novel/dp/0679775439/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294703694&sr=8-1">The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle</a>.</s></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">14. Make something functional.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">15. Learn how to do 10 new things in Photoshop.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">16. Paint my dresser white.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><s>17. Get my picture taken in a photo booth.</s></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">18. Run a 5K.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">19. Shoot a gun.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><s>20. Make tamales.</s></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">21. Start learning French.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">22. Have a photo shoot with Shaun.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">23. Figure out how to make awesome vegan beignets.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">24. Build a snowman.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><s>25. Get a paid photography job.</s></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">26. Run 100 miles in 1 month.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto">27. Eat something I’ve grown.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><s>28. Take boudoir photos of a friend.<br /></s></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="">29. Do SOMETHING with the <a href="http://monkandmao.blogspot.com/search/label/f.l.e.d.">Find Love Every Day</a> idea.</p>I'm currently working on number 26. I've done 26 miles in the last 7 days, so I'm well on my way to completing it. Yay for progress!<br /><p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-76354926770913891282011-01-10T16:13:00.005-07:002011-12-27T12:05:07.812-07:00A (Belated) Birthday PostI turned 29 a week and a half ago, and it feels pretty good so far. I've been working on this year's list of things to accomplish since before Christmas. It was difficult compared to last year's list! I failed pretty miserably at crossing things off of my list of 28 things to do before turning 29, mostly because nearly everything on the list required a good amount of money. See? (Click to see it larger.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrEwYzMMo8nr9UM1jW4yjLEc_tbrKjae4xoLLAEiud9D1WdSXW0nXYXQCXLp7jL2WcgHPC9n_X1Z5GJCsjKnG-ALkhmZObzHZhiz5m7Akg7zgmMAJYFDoUYuxJGzlvC6VDYwIXDcWMSVC/s1600/28-things-to-do-before-29-o.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560708072805859666" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrEwYzMMo8nr9UM1jW4yjLEc_tbrKjae4xoLLAEiud9D1WdSXW0nXYXQCXLp7jL2WcgHPC9n_X1Z5GJCsjKnG-ALkhmZObzHZhiz5m7Akg7zgmMAJYFDoUYuxJGzlvC6VDYwIXDcWMSVC/s400/28-things-to-do-before-29-o.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 299px;" /></a><br />
Expensive trips & things weren't really possible since my work hours got cut in half last February and Shaun has been unemployed for the last seven months. This year, I knew what to do. I've carried a few things from last year's list over to this one, but most of the things on this year's list won't cost more than $20. Some of them might even make me some money!<br />
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29 Things To Do Before 30<br />
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1. Start tattoo work on my right arm.</div>
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2. Get my website up.</div>
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3. Volunteer at least 100 hours at <a href="http://www.arascolorado.org/">ARAS Colorado</a>.</div>
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4. Try absinthe.</div>
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5. Go on a 90 day spending fast.</div>
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6. Enter a photo contest.</div>
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7. Publish a blurb book.</div>
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8. Make a pair of flats.</div>
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9. Host a dinner party with Shaun.</div>
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10. Make a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Monk-and-Mao-Photography/153920127993717">Monk and Mao Photography Facebook page</a>.</div>
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11. Learn to screenprint. </div>
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12. Go to yoga class every day for 60 days.</div>
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13. Read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wind-Up-Bird-Chronicle-Novel/dp/0679775439/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294703694&sr=8-1">The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle</a>.</div>
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14. Make something functional.</div>
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15. Learn how to do 10 things in Photoshop.</div>
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16. Paint my dresser white.</div>
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17. Get my picture taken in a photo booth.</div>
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18. Run a 5K.</div>
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19. Shoot a gun.</div>
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20. Make tamales.</div>
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21. Start learning French.</div>
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22. Have a photo shoot with Shaun.</div>
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23. Figure out how to make awesome vegan beignets.</div>
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24. Build a snowman.</div>
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25. Get a paid photography job.</div>
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26. Run 100 miles in 1 month.</div>
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27. Eat something I’ve grown.</div>
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28. Take boudoir photos of a friend.</div>
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29. Do SOMETHING with the <a href="http://monkandmao.blogspot.com/search/label/f.l.e.d.">Find Love Every Day</a> idea.</div>
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Yeah, no fancy jpg list this year. I plan on reviewing the list monthly and blogging about my progress, and editing it in Illustrator annoys me. Wish me luck!</div>
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I'm also working on opening an Etsy shop for my baking. I'm so excited! As soon as I find a kitchen space to bake from, I'll start listing goodies. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Crazy-Maes/120514274683623">Like Crazy Mae's on Facebook</a> for updates!</div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-85294842199387779652010-08-27T19:47:00.003-06:002010-08-27T19:49:12.808-06:00What I'm Wearing - 08.27.10<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovemonkandmao/4933123439/" title="What I'm Wearing - 08.27.10 by Monk and Mao, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4933123439_771088ecd7.jpg" width="308" height="500" alt="What I'm Wearing - 08.27.10" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Crystal Castles t-shirt - <a href="http://crystalcastles.com/crystal_castles_tshirt.html" rel="nofollow">here</a><br />Mustard skirt - Vintage, thrifted<br />Belt - Thrifted<br />Black flats - Thrifted</span><br /><br />I think this is the first time I've worn a band t-shirt since high school. Oh, Marilyn Manson t-shirts... how I miss you. Or not.<br /><br />And yes, the skirt could use another ironing, but it would just be wrinkled to shit again in an hour. Linen is such a high maintenance little brat.<br /></div></div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-18342033627454100052010-08-26T18:04:00.001-06:002010-08-26T18:07:36.374-06:00What I'm Wearing - 08.26.10<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovemonkandmao/4930816726/" title="What I'm Wearing - 08.26.10 by Monk and Mao, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4930816726_8b84fee073.jpg" width="317" height="500" alt="What I'm Wearing - 08.26.10" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Blue and white striped dress - Thrifted<br />Black cardigan - Target<br />Black flats - Thrifted<br /><br /></span>There's nothing too spectacular about this outfit. I mostly just wanted to show you all how awesome I look in children's clothes. The dress is a little girls' large!Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-38178489429615562352010-07-11T12:33:00.005-06:002010-07-11T12:59:51.157-06:00What I'm Wearing - 07.11.10<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovemonkandmao/4783984970/" title="What I'm Wearing - 07.11.10 by Monk and Mao, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4783984970_63bbe0eef3.jpg" alt="What I'm Wearing - 07.11.10" height="500" width="500" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(See <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovemonkandmao/4783984970/">Flickr</a> for a funny story about the dress!)</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Dress - American Eagle, thrifted<br />Black tube top - A little boutique in Lahaina, Maui<br />Shoes - Aldo<br />Flower necklace - Vintage pin worn as a pendant, gift</span><br /><br />Mao always comes into the room and starts lovin' on me as soon as I set the camera and tripod up to take pictures. After I opened the curtains so he could jump in the window, he started rolling around and being extra cute.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovemonkandmao/4783986700/" title="My Sunshine by Monk and Mao, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4783986700_baf6cf0262.jpg" alt="My Sunshine" height="500" width="333" /></a><br /><br /></div>Right after I took this, he got carried away and rolled right off of the window sill. It was pretty hilarious.Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8944308633910581101.post-64190236469661612222010-07-09T15:58:00.004-06:002010-07-11T13:17:39.192-06:00What I'm Wearing - 07.09.10<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovemonkandmao/4777831187/" title="What I'm Wearing 07.09.10 by Monk and Mao, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4777831187_91a098163e.jpg" alt="What I'm Wearing 07.09.10" height="500" width="500" /></a></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Mustard yellow top - Thrifted, Forever21<br />Black dress - Thrifted, no tags<br />Black tulle skirt - Target (kid's section!)<br />Fishnet thigh highs - Who knows... I've had them since high school<br />Blue ballet flats - Eddie Bauer<br />Locket - Some "ethnic" store in the mall<br />White medallion - Target<br />Kitty tapestry bag - Thrifted for $3.99 (!)</span><br /></div></div>Amberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16757373006519453190noreply@blogger.com3