I want to practice my spanish...

Hubs and I used to have Spanish Wednesdays and Sundays where we would only speak Spanish in the house. And after our South American trip in December we said we wanted to keep that practice up. So far we have not done a very good job. But we did start listening to some seriously fun Spanish music when cleaning the house!

This morning I was asked to translate for a parent and I got by fine, only because I am used to talking about school in Spanish. If I stay on the same subjects, no problem. But take me out of the school or average day context, I'm struggling. So maybe I can talk the husband into getting out the paper at dinner andchallenging ourselves to Spanish current event talk. This is going to be tricky and we will need to have a dictionary very close by. Vamos a ver!

I want to be graceful...

Right now I have two cuts on my right knee and a bruise on my left leg. One cut came from me rushing like a fool. Why can't I give myself more time to get ready in the morning! I cut myself shaving as if it was the first time I ever did it. Having just a few extra minutes could have saved my poor knee. The other cut came from running into a table and the bruise, who knows.

This is not unusual either. I am always running into things because of rushing around and not paying attention. And believe it or not at one time in my life I was a dancer- ballerina even! Haha. I must say yoga has helped me being graceful in balance and in posture, but in walking, I need more help. To be graceful and float in and out of rooms is the dream. Maybe I will start practicing by sneaking up on my husband, tippy toes and all.

I want to make a good presentation...

I could be talking about a presentation at work or for something important but I am talking about Thursday night's dinner presentation. Yes, food again.

When I cook, I like to say I cook with a lot of love. And when cooking with love, love is the most important part so the look of it can be a little off at times. I hear "Smells good" a lot more often then "looks good." For today I am trying a little love with a little of style and going for presentation. Pictured here we have layers of garlic polenta slices and bread crumb/parmesean encrusted eggplant, topped with sauteed onions tomatoes and spinach. So for today, the description sounds pretty fancey and as you can see from the pic, the presentation was not so bad either. But I can't seem to get it all. It was good, but didn't have that "yummy, yummy in my tummy" awesomeness. Hopefully the presentation points saved the meal and next time I will put double the love in to make it just right.

I want to cook like Life Alive

In October, the hubs and I went to visit his brother and sister in law in Lowell, Mass, right outside Boston. The trip was great, seeing them was the highlight, of course, but a close second was eating at Life Alive. http://www.lifealive.com/ Thanks to the sister in law knowing we would love it. It was obviously good because it is now April and I am still talking about it. The week after we got home I printed out their menu to see if I could somehow recreate their amazing vegetarian dishes. The whole menu is vegetarian and amazing. So naturally fresh and good it made us feel naturally fresh and good eating it. If you're ever in Lowell or Cambridge, it is a must. Or if I cook you dinner just ask for an inspired live alive dish and I will do my best.

Here is tonight's life alive inspired dish- israeli couscous (which, by the way, is amazing in itself), kale, onion, spinach, red wine vinegar, salt, cumin, and some lime. The hubster even said, "I love the kale in here." The great sounds of success!

I want to yoga at home....

Planning my life around a yoga class schedule can get a little crazy. I may have extra time before so I try to fit other things in or I may be running late and it throws everything off. Both situations make me anxious and frazzled about what to do. This is the main reason why I like to practice bright and early before the work day even begins. The only thing that can get in my way is me forgetting to set the alarm or me just turning it off. Some mornings I just need those few extra moments of sleep. So the morning yoga is out and practicing at home at a convenient time later on in the day is in. As an extra bonus, the hubster joined me a couple times this past week. Being in class and being at home are very different but both are very rewarding. So yay for getting that practice in where ever it is.

Iwant to ride my bike!

Riding my bike is one of my very favorite things to do. With the cold weather, my bike has been locked in the shed and there has been no hair helmet hair for months. Yesterday morning I decided that the hubster and I would ride to get our groceries for the evening. It was a gorgeous day, we needed groceries, and the workout helped too. And a work out it was. Who pays attention to all the hills when driving? Yikes! There was some definite huffing puffing going on a couple times. This deep breathing has clued us in that we may be a little out of shape. Ouch! So tomorrow, if the morning is rain free, I will be on the bike again to work. Leaving a little earlier than the cool day in early October, my last ride to work. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it again in a couple of weeks...

I want to sing...

I love singing. Singing in the car, shower, while cooking, while cleaning...I love it. You would think that with all that singing that I sing well. Well, I do not. I doesn't sound terrible or anything. Not sure my husband would be able to stand it, but it doesn't sound good either. Either way, it feels good to belt it out. Belt it out even if I don't know the exact words. Belt it out at a stop light with a car next to me. Belt it out!!