Eats | girlmeetscamera

Archive for the ‘ Eats ’ Category

A Dreamy December..

Yes, I really did include “dreamy” in my post title. You would too if you had my December.

One of the most honorable mentions is to my dearly (now broken) ring from the Thanksgiving trip. It was purple and pretty and now it’s in tiny pieces. Sad. Just sad. Thank goodness I took pictures!!

This month I was also introduced to many “Elf on the Shelf” characters. One in particular was named Elfie. M’s first elf on the shelf. He was so cool! I had to help Elfie fly on a couple of occasions. Hehe. The story that comes with Elfie (or whatever you may end up naming your elf) is so sweet. I actually managed to get a picture of M reading the story the last week I nannied for him.

December was a sad month in that aspect. Nannying and massage therapy school came to a close. Both on high notes I must say. Watching M was such a joy. There were many tears unleashed that last week. I don’t do well with goodbyes..to say the least.

On a brighter note, if I allow myself to brag for a moment about school, I’d mention that I managed to have perfect attendance for an entire year and a half, was on the President’s List each and every quarter, was Student of the Quarter, & made so many memorable connections with such great people! I also took and passed my MBLEx before leaving to Maine for my incredible New Year’s trip!

There were more crafts!! M and I decorated a Christmas tree..of sorts. Thank you, Target!! We also got window decals – a train set for M, and penguins for me! I’m such a kid!

Which worked well for me once more when I babysat J & R for a couple days! We made faces out of these mask kits they had. I made a silly elf face!

Gifts were exchanged, platelets were donated, more memories were made, and so were cookies!! Christmas came and went. This year was harder than any other Christmas. I spent it apart from my boyfriend and everyone everywhere seemed to be a bit sad.

Not to worry! New Year’s was just around the corner to save the day! And so was an airplane to take me back to Maine! My first day there, I was introduced to Lenny, a 1700lb chocolate moose!! More places to be mentioned in January. I’ll leave you with these ramblings for now.

I am thankful for: giving, Christmas trees, achieving goals, Target, New Year’s, Maine.

Lenny

2013: 02/18
CATEGORY: Animals I Heart
Artistic
Awesome Places
Craft Time
Eats
For A Good Cause
In My Own Words
Leave a comment

Oh October..

Trips..Holidays..Crafts. October had many memorable moments!

First up..my first trip to Maine wasn’t over until early in the first week of October. Other places we visited included: Samantha Reed Smith statue, Maine State House in Augusta (so cool!), & Old Fort Western. The places were incredible, weather was awesome, and company was the bestest! I also was unfortunately reminded of how hard some goodbyes can be. This is my PSA: if you’re with someone who is your most incredible person, tell them. Show them.

A few weeks after the Maine trip, there was a beach trip with my dad’s company. So fun!! (I should mention I got a movie date with my daddy during this month too!) We went to Corolla and were able to stay in an incredible house on the beach! It was called “The Dream” and so lived up to it! There were wild horses, pool tables, great conversations, glo necklaces, and UNO!! On the way home, we even got to stop by Kill Devil Hills! I hadn’t been there in 10 years!

The month of Halloween – probably the holiday I least look forward to. But last year it was fun. M and I made crafts for the occasion all month long! We also had some random baking & drawing days. Love that kid.

The very last day of the month, I trekked it out to Fearrington Village. Such a cool place! They were decked out with decorative pumpkins! My mom created her first scarecrow – and it won the competition at work!

All-in-all, October was a pretty great month.

I am thankful for: family, the beach, wild horses, cameras, phones, & paint.

Samantha Reed Smith

State House

Old Fort Western

The Dream..and a huge beach chair

2013: 02/17
CATEGORY: Animals I Heart
Artistic
Awesome Places
Craft Time
Eats
In My Own Words
Special Peeps
Leave a comment

And We’re Back..

DAY 253

9.9

“We need men who can dream of things that never were.” – John F. Kennedy

“It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.” – Seneca

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.” — Irish proverb

Sun and rain, so different. Yet, only by working together do they create harmony and life. –Fa Zhou (Mulan II)

Today will be known as the day I discovered that “Dimples are actually caused by a facial muscle called the zygomaticus major, being abnormally short!” My favorite muscle has revealed the reason as to why I hold it so dear. Plus it’s a fun word to say!

I am thankful for: the return of loved ones after being away on vacation.

2012: 09/09
CATEGORY: Eats
Quotables
Special Peeps
2 comments

Funnel Caking..

DAY 217

“There is never a better measure of what a person is than what he does when he’s absolutely free to choose.” – William M. Bulger

“There is nothing impossible to him who will try.” – Alexander the Great

“Conquer your bad habits or they will conquer you.” – Rob Gilbert

to really say ‘I want to put love for other people first’ is a radical concept in our culture. ~ marianne williamson

“I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense.” – Harold S. Kushner

An amazing day with great girls! Reading, reenacting Tangled, puzzles, coloring, being silly, dinner at Tobacco Road, & a Durham Bull’s Game with fireworks! Oh, and making up phrases like “funnel caking”. Definition? To influence others around you to partake in the eating of funnel cake. Guilty! And many many dance parties throughout the day. All-in-all, fabulous Saturday!!

I am thankful for: dance parties.

2012: 08/04
CATEGORY: Animals I Heart
Awesome Places
Eats
Landscape
Quotables
Special Peeps
Leave a comment

Chocolate Chai Connection..

DAY 204

“You start from somewhere and very rarely do you start with magic.” – Tamara Lackey

“You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself.” – Harvey S. Firestone

“Praise is like sunlight to the human spirit: we cannot flower and grow without it.” – Jess Lair

Sleeping to the tune of thunderstorms.

Waking up at my body’s request (in other words – NO alarm clocks welcome today!).

And kicking my day of with chocolate chai (that is, chocolate soy milk + Tazo chai).

My Sunday has been pretty great!

I’ve also been able to tune in to Tamara Lackey‘s final day of her “Sales, Sales, Sales.” workshop on CreativeLIVE. I adore this woman. She is a photography [& life] genius! I kid you not. And CreativeLIVE is such an amazing forum for photographers who might be figuring out how to better themselves in their profession.

I am thankful for: chocolate chai lattes.

2012: 07/22
CATEGORY: Eats
Quotables
Special Peeps
TV
Leave a comment

Weee Cola..

DAY 194

“A man with no imaginations has no wings.” – Muhammad Ali

“I love the man who can smile in trouble, gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection.” – Thomas Paine

“A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read.” – Mark Twain

“Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop” ~ Ansel Adams

I woke early this morning – my day off. There were many little things I wanted to get done. And I did. They included, but were not limited to: screaming at a poor grasshopper on my car window, laughing, giggling, singing whilst driving, & walking in on a class in-progress. Successfull day, kids!

Bull City Yoga opened today! Yay! I literally found out about this place yesterday and have been completely obsessed and excited about the idea of the studio. I don’t know if it’s the rustic building, the fact that it’s something new and different, the awesome instructor I had a Twitter convo with this AM, or that it’s yoga. Uh, hello, I’m a little in love with the practice. But like, a lot. I’m going to test the waters (literally – the studio will be at like 80 or 90 degrees and we’ll be doing yoga, which equals = sweat) tomorrow! I begged M to go with me and she graciously agreed. We’re in for quite an experience!

I’m pretty sure we have some major grocery store’s produce section in our home right now. My mom (and I) went produce-crazy today. We have pineapple, apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, bananas, strawberries, watermelon, avocados, tomatoes.. You need fruits or veggies? We’ve got ’em!

Mad Libs – Oh how I love this game! And playing it over the phone some how manages to make it that much funnier. One of the combos created was “weee cola”. Purely hilarious! Laughter absolutely followed. Think Riccola, but with the “weee” from the Geico commercial with the pig. Yeah. Are you dying with giggles yet?

I am thankful for: my education.

2012: 07/13
CATEGORY: Eats
Quotables
Schooling Matters
Special Peeps
Yoga Anywhere
Leave a comment

You Shall Be Mine, & I Shall Call You Dinner..

DAY 181
(Friday)

It’s so hot, the home schooling moms have resorted to actual home schooling rather than “field trips.” – Tweeted by @FakeJDGreear

In duality love comes and goes; in unity there is only love. – Deepak Chopra

“The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work.” – Mark Twain

Ok, sun is leaving now. Bye sun. ::waves goodbye:: – Tweeted by @Kokyubbq

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.” – Robert Brault

Thank you, Pinterest! Dinner was a great success! I found 2 amazing recipes, went grocery shopping, made & enjoyed them in the same night. First up was a nectarine pizza with basil and balsamic. I tweaked the recipe a bit, but it was still delicious! I used peaches, spinach, parmesean, & light balsamic vinaigrette. And for dessert, I made lemon brownies – sounds strange, but tastes great! I went light on the lemon it called for because I didn’t want it to taste too bitter. It worked well!

I also had time this afternoon to pamper myself a little – mani/pedi. First time I’ve gone solo – major accomplishment! I enjoy spending time alone, but going out and doing things alone is something I’ve only been experimenting with for a few years. (Sounds like a long time, but I don’t really have that much free time – like, at all.) It takes a little shove from my pushy over-the-shoulder angel, but once I’m out exploring, I’m good to go. Very content & making friends everywhere. I don’t know what was going on with me, but I was in a very red, white, & blue mood – navy & white striped dress along with my red nail color. Pair that with the same color combo of the Cracker Barrel game we have at home & that is what a snapshot of my afternoon was. I think I’m just ready for the 4th of July!

I am thankful for: good food & solo time.

2012: 06/30
CATEGORY: Eats
Landscape
Quotables
Leave a comment

Here Fishy, Fishy..

DAY 177
(Monday)

If you’ve got a little tiny dream, all you have to do is think about it, work on it every day, and you’ll get it. –Sebastian

Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.

“Sir your verbs and nouns aren’t agreeing please stop talking.” – Yasmeen

No one is more spiritual than anyone else. – right on! –@kumaremovie – Tara Stiles

I got a couple great shots on the way to babysitting this morning! Then an old friend appeared – gold fish!

This clip from Finding Nemo was helpful for a friend this morning – it always cheers me up!

I am thankful for: beautiful sunrises.

2012: 06/30
CATEGORY: Animals I Heart
Eats
Landscape
Movie Magic
Musical Influences
Quotables
Special Peeps
Leave a comment

I Don’t Want To Touch Your Donut..

DAY 175
(Saturday)

Durham Bulls game memorable quote from the small child beside us:
“Hey, I got a ball! I got it from Jesus.”

“Sprinted up 3 flights of stairs only to beat the guy on the elevator. Something’s wrong with this picture… ‪#iworkout‬ ;)”
– Meredith

Durham Farmer’s Market:
M & I visited the market this morning! We had such a great time. Even bought flowers for ourselves (her idea)! There were so many great vendors out. I finally made a purchase from Monuts Donuts! I’ve been stalking their trike for a while now, but always arrive just after the last sale. Ha! I won this time, peeps. I bought one dozen vegan donuts (half blackberry mojito, half whiskey lemon glazed) and bought an earl grey chocolate donut to go. They were amazing! If you’re in the Triangle, you should stalk them too!

After we toured the Farmer’s Market, we strolled the short distance to Daisy Cakes. I’ve been wanting to visit this little gem for a while as well. It was well worth the wait! M & I both got iced coffee and Greek yogurt parfaits. They were so yummy! I got a (free!) cupcake to go. Thanks guys! It was delicious!!

When we were leaving the market, I noticed a sign for Yoga in the Park, which made a great deal of sense having seen a rather large group of people gathered up on a hill practicing yoga behind the market. It was great to see! I’m still pretty chicken to try a class & make a fool of myself, but I’d really like to give it a shot.

Smoothie-turned-juice:
As I mentioned yesterday, I found a great smoothie recipe, but discovered my blender was broken. I left the fruit frozen until I was taught how to put together and use the juicer today. It turned out great!

Durham Bulls Game:
After spending a few hours apart to complete other tasks, M & I reconvened for the Bulls game. Front row seats, right next to the dugout! You have to admit, that’s pretty cool! On our way to the game, we picked up Noodles & Co. and proceeded to scarf it down in the parking garage. I literally mean scarf it down. It was serious business people.

Once in the game, there was dancing, a few little league teams that joined us in the empty seats, and quite a few hilarious moments from them. It was a great game! And a fun night! M & I stopped for photo opps all day, but I think the most fun was had after the game, walking back to the car. We sat in a “No Parking Zone”. Oops!

My proudest moment all day: figuring out the name of this song. I’ve been obsessed with it recently! Owl City + Carly Rae Jepsen song – Good Time.

I am thankful for: great quotes.

Got my oil changed & car washed! Thanks, bro!

2012: 06/30
CATEGORY: Awesome Places
Eats
In My Own Words
Landscape
Musical Influences
Quotables
Special Peeps
Yoga Anywhere
Leave a comment

Oh To Skip & Play..

DAY 172

“it is all in your mind. . until your body responds. make sure your mind is instructing your body to be healthy & happy.” – Tara Stiles

Summer is officially here! And I’m here to tell you (at 10 pm) in case you missed the 90+ degree heat today. The temperature alone I could have handled, but add in the mugginess factor – Ick! What a fabulous excuse that was to break out the kiddie pool it turned out to be! I think I was more interested than the kid was.

I’ve [finally] guaranteed myself the opportunity to try Monuts Donuts this weekend!! I am super happy about this. It’s been over a month since I heard about the small business & unsuccessfully attempted to test the little treasures. Not to fear! 8am Saturday morning, my ~~life~~ luck will change.

I’d like to share with you all 2 amazing links I discovered on Pinterest today. I am in LOVE with this site!! First off, a smoothie I’m dying to try – and yes, papaya is in season! The second is a new workout routine I’m breaking into tonight – 15 minute killer ab routine! It seems to have a heavy pilates influence, so I’m guaranteed to be sore walking into my platelet donation tomorrow. Woohoo! Totally worth it.

Lastly, I found a couple of gems for you today – one was shared by a dear friend & the other was again from Pinterest.

21 Images to restore your faith in humanity [grab a box of tissues first!].

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/pictures-that-will-restore-your-faith-in-humanity

I am thankful for: those who are the exceptions to the norm.

PS: Ok, last one! Promise. There was a joke in class about my teacher’s green pillow looking like Tom from Veggie Tales. And all I could think of was the Cheesburger song! Enjoy & you’re welcome : )