Brave Wings...

Cheers to 2015!

I kicked off the year with great friends, yummy food and lots of bubbly (hence the somewhat blurry midnight 'cheers' photo).

It was a Simple yet perfect way to start the year....and remember, this year, I'm ALL ABOUT SIMPLE! There was reminiscing, remembering all the fun we've had over the past 17 years (as well as reflection on some of the tough times), lots of laughs (Cards Against Humanity is a HOOT) and plans made for the year ahead. 

I am very grateful that I not only got to spend New Years with these friends, but for also seeing other great friends this afternoon too. I can't think of a better way to kick off the year.

Charlie and I returned home this afternoon after the festivities, relaxed, had an amazing dinner (thank you so much to my friend from around the corner who brought me some leftover EPIC lasagna from her NYE get together last night - it was a 28lb homemade lasagna like no other you will ever have - AMAZING!) and we then decided to stretch our legs and head out for our evening walk. 

There was snow in the air, the blowing wind adding an extra chill....and I couldn't help but smile. An overwhelming feeling of contentedness came over me.... Life is Good...Very Good!

We wandered home and I began writing this....surrounded by new journals, notebooks, my 2015 agenda and books I am reading/will read..... 

These books will be the venues that will assist me in Simplifying my life... They will allow me to get my thoughts, plans, promises and goals on paper in black and white..... Through the words I read or write on the paper bound in their spines, I will identify my Needs vs Wants, formulate my budget, develop meal plans, journal, write recipes and most importantly, I will keep myself accountable.

I Believe we need more accountability in our lives because as I mentioned in my last post, we create our own lives, our own happiness, our successes and failures....life is not a passive exercise of letting it happen to you. We are accountable for our actions, our words...and those actions and words form what we call our life...our day to day existence.

To be accountable is to be brave. It means taking ownership and at times, that can be incredibly difficult. Sometimes, it would just be so much easier to let someone else make that tough decision for you...to not have to accept responsibility for our actions.

**Print by: life i design **

"With Brave Wings She Flies"....... The braver we are, the more accountable we are and the more I Believe that we can Simplify our life through making changes we may be nervous to make, to realize behavioural alterations that need to be made but we know will be difficult....

Change is necessary to grow. Simplification can be the ultimate in growth. A change to a 'Need vs Want' approach to life keeps you accountable for not only your material things, but your emotional well being as well. Less truly is more!

I'm about to go get into bed and start my first journal entry for 2015. I'm going to read a few pages of a new book. I'm going to take a glass of water with lemon with me to drink before I go to sleep.

Again, it's the little things...the Simple things that make up our life.... Hold yourself accountable to the decisions you make.... Be brave. It will be sooooo worth it! Happy New Year!

RR

The Simple Things...The Little Things...The Messy Things..

The little things.....The simple things...

Saturday morning lattes, cupcakes, magazines and fresh flowers....

Your day is made up of these simple, little moments and how often do you sit back and truly enjoy them?

Brunch with a friend....getting caught up on what's new and where life is going....

An evening walk with a 4 legged friend.....

Sunset over Lake of the Woods....brings back so many memories....

Sunday at the Aberfoyle Market...sooo many great finds and project inspirations! (P.S. that brass bed was only $85!!!!!!.....I'm kicking myself for not bringing it home)

Morning meetings by the water......

Sitting in and soaking up the sun....I think I may need to get him a pair of sunglasses...

Our lives can get away from us at times...Thank you to Sara of Top Knot Events for sending this through and reminding me that the messier that life is, the better! Leave your bed unmade, throw your hair in a top knot and get out and enjoy your "messy" life full of simple, little moments...take off your shoes and dip your toes in the lake, indulge in that yummy brunch or cupcake, squeeze that new project you found at the Market into the back of your vehicle...These "messes" (ie. wonderful moments) are what life truly is about....

P.S. If you'd like to order one of these "Messy" prints for yourself, go to Top Knot Weddings' Etsy Shop!

RR

Simple, Healthy and Tasty!

I had some tomatoes I wanted to use up and what better way to do so then by making a yummy and healthy pasta!

I looked in my fridge and the cupboard and collected the following items in addition to the 4 tomatoes:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 a green pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons of EVOO
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 2 cups whole wheat pasta
• 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce (the 'secret' ingredient)
• 10 thin slices of sopressata
• Feta Cheese (as much or as little as you'd like)
• Spices to taste including: Oregano, Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder

This recipe/dish isn't only healthy, it's VERY simple (and yummy!).

Preheat your oven to 400 (this is to crisp up the sopressata). Heat up the sauce pan on the stove top on medium heat and put in 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Cut up the tomatoes into small chunks (no boiling and peeling the skin off...I leave the skin on) and put them into the pan. Let them begin to break down and add the 2 cloves of garlic (I mince mine into almost a paste), salt, pepper, soy sauce and oregano. Then add the green pepper and continue to let the sauce begin to come together. 

While the sauce is coming together, place the sliced sopressata in a single layer onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and place in the oven until it begins to crisp up (approx 8-10 minutes).  Boil the pasta water and then cook the pasta (I used whole wheat) until al dente (you still want it to be a bit firm to absorb some of the sauce). Before you drain the pasta, put about 2 table spoons of pasta water into the sauce.

After draining the pasta, add it directly to the pan with the sauce, along with the spinach, feta cheese and more seasoning to taste. Stir it all together, lower the heat and let the flavours 'meld' together for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Plate the pasta, crumbling the crispy sopressata and more feta on top...and that's it!

The great thing about this is that you could add different ingredients such as mushrooms, onions, olives etc, change ingredients such as substituting bacon for the sopressata or take out the meat entirely to make it a veggie option. It literally starts with 4 tomatoes and a bit of EVOO and you can head in whatever direction you'd like!

RR