Baking & Blogging

The two big "B's" that make this big "B" feel better. If I am having a bad day, bad week, bad month or bad year there are two things that will ALWAYS make me feel better: Baking & Blogging. My advice? Don't get in the way or tell me how to do either.

I have my own way of writing and my own way in the kitchen. Sit and observe or go away.

The past few months have been challenging to say the least, but with new challenges come new words and new yummies. I recently started my own food blog, at the request of some friends and family members. It has always been my dream to not only have my own cafe one day, but to also write my own cookbook. Combining my two favorite things would be my own personal heaven.

Until I allow myself the patience to do either of the above, I have given in to the demands of the people.

I spent the afternoon baking. After spending the better part of the morning wiping away tears, I thought what better way to cheer myself up (other than a visit to my Daddy -- because he always makes his Princess feel better) than to bake some tasty & healthy treats. I made some Vegan Pecan Oatmeal Cookies and some Vegan Strawberry-Pecan Oatmeal Cookie Bars.

I love the fact that I can produce something so sweet and tasty and not feel the same guilt as eating a piece of Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake from Cheesecake Factory - though I do indulge when I just happen to pop in. There was a time when this Southern Princess had no clue what vegan even meant, and had no interest in finding out either. There was also a time when eating any amount of sweets didn't phase me at all. At 28, while I still fall prey to a handful of indulgences, I tread lightly. Health has become even more of a priority than it used to be.

So, here I am on this chilly Sunday night. I've got a wickedly delicious, post-dinner snack and two typing-capable hands to write all about it. There are few better ways to conclude a weekend, at least for this single gal ..

Here's to a better tomorrow ...

Stress is a B#&!H, with a capital B#&!H

STRESS -- noun, a specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism.

That is one of many definitions of the word, but I think we all carry our own meaning of the term: Stress. It's a nasty little bugger, and I fear that it may be the trigger for so many of the ailments we see and hear about in the medical world today. We have all felt it, some more, some less. 

I am currently dealing with more than a fair amount of it right now, for reasons that I shall leave to myself and possibly a select few that I trust with my life. While bearing physical symptoms, stress is not a medical condition that can be diagnosed with a scan or doctor examination. It acts as a disease, meaning their is no cure, only maintenance to keep it from showing it's nasty face. So how do we deal with it? That's a question on we as individuals can answer. It depends mostly on what we can do for ourselves to keep our head above the water; keep smiles, real smiles, on our faces and laughter in our hearts. There's love. There's laughter. There's having meaningful relationships that fill the voids, where stress has eaten away at us. 

We each have our own remedies, but we have to remind ourselves each day of how important it is to march forward, reaching for the light and holding it higher for those around us in search of the same thing. We have to be less selfish and acknowledge that while we each have our own pain, there are so many experiencing either the same and in some cases much more. We must emanate positivity at all times in order to get it back from others. A smile can change a life.

Getting My Blog On

So I am back on blogspot. It seems I have been gone since November of 2009, but since certain people are blogspot patrons and unable to follow my tumblr, I have re-surfaced. Each blog is structured differently, contains different previous material but both paint a pretty good picture of moi. It may not always be a pretty picture, but I like to keep it raw.

I can't wait to dive back into the realm of blogging. Writing frees my soul and allows me to be me, since me is not always acceptable in the 'real' world. Pretty soon I am planning to start yet another blog, completely dedicated to food. I'm pretty excited. My dream has always been to write a cookbook, but I figure I should start small.

Until next time ..