Nesting!

It has been SOOOO long since I last blogged. In the meantime, we moved, got married and are now expecting!! There are so many emotions and updates I could share but since I feel a little rusty blogging, I am just going to start with my weekend project- a mobile for little baby g. I wanted to have a way to document some of the nursery projects and I know not everyone on facebook wants to read about the progress so I figured returning to the blog would be a good idea. I am not committing to ongoing blogs but figure I will give it a go.

I really wanted to make my own mobile and was inspired by some daycare tours we recently went on (that could be a whole blog entry!). Two of the centers are designed around the Reggio approach which I later learned means they incorporate a lot of nature into the space, use neutral colors, natural wood and natural lighting. I have also been on pinterest with my hidden board for too long to admit (pre-baby!) and had some ideas I tried to pull together this weekend.

First, I collected some branches from this amazing tree! Yes, I was literally nesting. I never really liked that term since it sounds like some form of hibernation but when I found myself collecting sticks, I had to face the facts- I was nesting!

Then I whittled the sticks!

And then I went to Michael's Crafts with a coupon and spent under $20 for paint, paint pens, washi tape, brushes, wood squares and string. I painted the sticks first and then the little squares. Next I glued the two squares together with the string in between.This took way longer than I had imagined but I didn't mind since I wasn't feeling great and preferred a relaxing day crafting while Dan was at the football game.

After painting, Dan helped me tie all the strings and try and make the branches balanced. Good metaphor for life right now- Dan is definitely the one keeping everything balanced. He has been so incredibly supportive both pre-pregnancy and throughout this hormonal/emotional journey.

We still have to hang it and not sure how that will go but looks good when Dan is holding it! Other than the mobile...the room needs a little work. We got it painted, have a crib from Dan's sister Maria (love that her little ones used it- feels full of love!) and a dresser we need to set up.

Good thing I still have 17 weeks to go. We have time to nest! 

Pistachio and Cranberry Holiday Cookies

Part two of Holiday cookie baking. Tonight I made shortbread cookies with a lemon glaze, pistachios and cranberries. I used the recipe below as pinterest inspiration.

Step 1: Bake your favorite shortbread or sugar cookies (I made shortbread)
Step 2: Mix powdered sugar, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest for a glaze (top the cookies once cooled)
Step 3: Sprinkle chopped pistachios and cranberries on top

That is it!

Now let cool and package for a great gift. I did put them on a cardboard square and then wrapped them up since they are delicate and need to be on a sturdy base.

http://www.marthastewart.com/354123/lemon-pistachio-wreaths

Christmas Turtles

For the Holidays I usually make peppermint bark, peanut butter blossoms, and sugar cookies but most of those are just because of tradition. This year I am adding a few new ones that I can't wait to taste. I found a recipe for Turtles and then adapted it to my own taste buds.

Ingredients:
20 Camels- I bought the ones from trader joe's
Bag of pecan halves
1/2 bag dark chocolate chips- I used Ghirardelli
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
Sea salt

Cut the camels in half and mold the half carmel on top of  two pecan halves. Put them in the oven at 325  until carmel melts around the pecans. Melt the chocolate chips and butterscotch in the microwave. Place a spoonful of chocolate over the camels (don't worry about making them perfect- turtles should look traditionally rustic). Sprinkle with sea salt.

Let sit for at least and hour then package them up for a beautiful Holiday gift.

Making Christmas a little greener

This weekend we went shopping for new furniture and strolled the isles of Room and Board, Home Furniture and Schneiderman's. HOME was Dan's favorite because they had a cookie cafe but I was most excited about my recycled fabric find. Schneiderman's had a big bin of fabric samples with a sign that said "Free samples great for quilters".

No, I did not attempt to pick up quilting since I do NOT sew but I did grab a stack knowing I would find some random holiday project idea. I think Dan was a tad embarrassed walking out with me and my handful of fabrics but I had no shame!

http://www.wholeliving.com/133668/read-wrap-recycle-make-bows-magazines?czone=holiday/workshop-christmas/quick-and-easy-ideas&center=307034&gallery=856466&slide=276003

I was planning on using it for wrapping paper but instead decided to make bows. I found a blog on how to make bows and just used the fabric instead of paper. Now I will have a unique way to decorate my grocery bag wrapped gifts. And yes, I do buy real gifts- not recycled re-gifts!

Sunday Berries!

It was time to seize the berry season! Somehow I missed June strawberry and blueberry PYO (pick your own) seasons and had to settle for farmers market and grocery store berries. Not the same! Yes, I know they are sometimes cheaper and even juicer at the store but they are filled with chemicals and completely removed from the dirt and land that nurtures them.

So today we went to Apple Jacks Orchard in Delano and picked some golden and red raspberries. We definity ate our share of juicy berries and sampled some of the almost-ready-to-pick apples lining the rows of berry bushes.

After picking, we visited the store and cafe filled with amazing baked goods and seasonal foods. I was tempted to buy the apple breads but convinced myself baking with my own berries would be more rewarding. We also toured the little crafty boutique and Dan said it reminded him of his mom's home boutique show they hosted when he was a kid.

On the drive home we stopped to get a raspberry shake from the famous Peppermint Twist Delano shop. I will let the picture speak for itself but TRUST me, the shake was AMAZING but the place is suspect.

After getting home to wash off the dirt and a few ants from the berries, I found a delicious recipe on pinterst to make good use out of our berries. I saved some for my spinach salads and froze a few, but the rest I turned into raspberry breakfast bars (more like raspberry crisp). It was a great way to end the berry Sunday as we enjoyed them from harvest - to the mixer- to the oven- to our mouths! Dan licked the crumbs from his plate so I guess he liked it too.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/09/raspberry-breakfast-bars/
Recipe for the berry bars (I used half wheat flour and cut the butter down to 1 stick)

My Career Journey

Time to reconnect with my blog.  I almost forgot my password it has been so long since my last post. No big news or adventurous vacation pictures. Just some some random (probably non-blog worthy) thoughts.

For the past six months now I have been working as a Health Educator coordinating nutrition, physical activity and tobacco cessation efforts across the county. It was the first job offer I received and if you know me, you know I get impatient with too much downtime and a lack of structure. So, I took the position eager to start building my new resume but a little worried about how I would adapt to county work! Yes, we all have our stereotypes about county employees and usually it doesn't involve cutting edge sexy entrepreneurial projects like the international development work I was previous providing.

My original logic behind getting my MBA was to strengthen my skills and portfolio in order to bring corporate logic models and structures into the nonprofit arena. My long term goal was to eventually start or direct a nonprofit organization with a specific focus on woman's health and/or immigrant health. I thought I would be bringing business into the nonprofit sector leveraging resources and maximizing philanthropic funds.

I still maintain those long-term goals and often peruse MCN for nonprofit leadership positions. I also occasionally find myself drawn toward big corporate career pages searching for ways to bring my community engagement values into the business world. Corporate social responsibility is typically viewed as a publicity effort to build positive brand recognition and maybe that is true, but the reality is that businesses do have money and usually nonprofits do not! Therefore, CSR work has a huge untapped potential to make a strong positive impact for underserved communities.

However, for now I will continue learning from my current temporary (but finally full-time with benefits!) health consulting position and networking with other like-minded people. My intention is to remind myself to think creatively about my future, never to be complacent with having unrealized goals and to always make the most of what I do between the hours of 9-5pm.

After all, maybe creating healthy eating and vending policies, improving safe walking routes to school, providing breastfeeding support for working mothers and promoting physical activity in the schools doesn't sound all that revolutionary to you but...I think its pretty cool!

My awesome co-worker promoting active commuting to work

Encouraging biking to work and healthy eating! 

For those women who want it all...

These last few months of transition and job hunting have caused me to over think just about every topic. I tried to stay busy by filling my mornings with great friend-filled workout routines and organized so many random cold-call networking coffee dates, phone chats and LinkedIn connections that it started to feel a tad incestuous as my contacts began to overlap. And of course, I cooked to stay busy! Cake pops, granola, soups, empanadas and the list goes on. I managed to un-earmark most of the recipes I had been drooling over and I can now report that I actually crafted a handful of Pinterest ideas. And, most invaluably, I spent extra time with friends, family and made up for those lost months away from Dan when I was living in Georgia.

Now....its time to go to work!

I accepted a temporary 30 hour a week position with Anoka County working as a Health Educator providing strategic planning and technical assistance with the State Health Improvement Program. I had applied for the full-time position but was only offered the part-time consulting job. However, considering my eagerness to get working and the attractiveness of the nature of the work...I accepted. I will continue to look for a full time offer and hope this position leads to further opportunities. I am looking forward to learning about the preschool nutrition initiatives and hope to report healthy findings even though as a child I loved long-dog roll-ups and chicken patty day!

It's funny how time works. We value it most when we don't have it and when we do, we feel lost with how to fill it up. For the most part, I was constantly job hunting so it didn't exactly feel like vacation but sleeping in and going to the gym at noon for yoga was pretty nice!

This "free" time also made me think a lot about time on a larger scale. I just turned 29 and feel as if some things in my life are just beginning. As an unmarried, transitional student to career female, I must say this is a very strange and yet exciting time in my life. I am not immune to those societal whispers reminding me that my eggs are not getting any younger and that my window of motherhood is shrinking. I also see the career ladder and know that what I am lacking most is time and experience when really, I just want to jump to the point where I am doing my dream job! On occasion, I see those far away international dream jobs pop up tempting me to hop on a plane to Africa and join USAID or the Garmeen bank but then the idea of giving up all the joys and love of my Minnesota life trump the temptation. Yep, I am one of those who wants it all. A career, a family, an adventure and stability!

When I start to feel this bidirectional pull, I reflect back on this lesson a rabbi once told me. He said you can be good at many things but only great at one thing at a time. I also think of my mom's wise words comforting my "oh my god I am almost 30" panic by telling me that sometimes you make certain sacrifices in life depending on your circumstances but that life is cyclical and just like careers evolve and kids grow up, new life opportunities arise in time as if it was part of the plan all along. I guess I translate that to mean for me, I had my global adventure and now its time to focus on a career. I know I need to surrender control and reject some of those outside pressures telling me that life has to go in a certain order or that there is a time clock ticking away. If there is anything I hate more, its worry about things I can't control and missing out on the life I am currently living.

So, my intention for my last few days of unemployment are to do some more of those "if only I had time" kinda activities. I will stop worry or feeling like I am wasting time and see this down time as an opportunity to be filled with gratitude for my current blessings. With all these exciting life changes happening, I don't want to miss a thing so my commitment is to do my best to stop analyzing time, life milestones and societal (or personal) expectations and just have faith that I am living the life I am meant to live. A life of purpose, gratitude, patience and opportunity.

And if you think I was exaggerating about the cooking... check out the pile of healthy (no butter, no flour) cookies and granola tubs I prepared today. They will be perfect healthy treats for my first day of work promoting healthy eating!!

This should last awhile!