okay, so i get a little obsessive...

fablehaven: my latest finished fantasy obsession.

i finished the very last book today.  and it was spectacular!  it contained all the good things a perfect fantasy series is supposed to end with.  a little bittersweetness over what was lost, joy at the discovered peace, reflection on the learned lessons, and {of course} the best guy gets the best girl.  really, i'm a little amazed at how quickly brandon mull rapped up the plot.  with 75 pages to go lat night, i was certain he was going to have to break his promise to readers and write another book.  but. to my joyful surprise, he proved worthy of his title as a fantasy author (unlike christopher paolini who {despite his original goal to write a trilogy} extended his last book another thousand pages only to continue the story line and loose more than half his follows by announcing a fourth book in the trilogy {can there be four books in a trilogy?} but. back to the point...).  

one of my favorite elements of brandon mull's stories is the correct portrayal of consequences.  maybe i obsess too much, but i'll never forget when seth was transformed into a walrus for his mistake.  i love the encouragement to look to the older generation for advice and help.  the character development is exquisite, building and solidifying with each book.  with a turn or tug at the end of every chapter, i never once was bored.  i even finished this book during a semester (something i haven't accomplished in years).  AND! it's clean - not a foul word or scene in the entire series, which, especially with fantasy, is rare.

enough with the extended praise, though.  if you haven't read fablehaven, read it.  it's a page-turner. it's an adventure.  it's something you can relate to.  it's something you can escape with.

and it's something i've added to my list of favorite fantasies.  mull now holds a place in the section of my heart's library also containing tolkien, cs lewis, and lloyd alexander.  now, that is praise.

ps. don't get me wrong, paolini started out as a superb author (page-turning creativity), but really? a trilogy just can't contain four books - it's logically impossible.  and. when i set out to read a trilogy, i don't want to be drug (against my will) into the perpetual world of a twenty-year old boy's fifteen book series.  no thank you. 

motivational sticky notes

sticky note of the day:
bright pink and very visible, this sticky note is my daily dating motivation.  my roommate and i came across the quote while researching for a paper we both were scrambling to write last semester, and it stuck (like a.. sticky note).  wow, i'm corny.  anyway, dating can be a pain sometimes.  so i think it very wise to keep little motivational phrases close at hand.  really? yeah right. but. this one's worthy of a funny calendar.

"in ancient times, many first marriages were by capture, not by choice."

happy... um, dating.  it's better than abduction, right?
love,
jessica's desktop sticky notes.

rainy day recipes

it's raining in provo, again.
but the gang in 205 refused to be brought down by the drizzling today!  to warm ourselves up, we tried a few new recipes, and a few old ones.  it was a baking day - a delicious one!

for dinner:

broccoli cheese stuffed potatoes
(coined by the food network hit rachel ray and adapted by her superior - my mother)

4 potatoes
2-3 tablespoons olive oil (i used coconut this time)
1 bunch green onions minced
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon dejon mustard
1 cup veggie broth
grated cheese (i used raw sharp cheese - super yum!)
salt and pepper to taste

throw the potatoes in the oven to bake, and steam the broccoli lightly (5 minutes).  in a small sauce pan, sauté the onions in the 1 tablespoon of oil for about a minute.  sprinkle the flour and cook another minute (stir so the mixture doesn't burn).  add the mustard and broth and simmer until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.  toss in the cheese (i didn't put an amount, but i used a little over a heaping handful), and season the sauce to taste.  stir in the broccoli, then pour over your baked potatoes and be careful not to burn your tongue!  this recipe is one of my comfort foods - it reminds me of mom, of saturdays cleaning the house, and board games around the dinner table.  today, it was a perfect rainy day dinner: it warmed us from the inside out and filled our tummies to the top.

and....

now for dessert!

chocolate chip banana bread
(another one adapted first by mom, next by me - because my pantry isn't quite as stocked as i'd like to be)

2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup honey (i used some absolutely delicious local honey i've had in my cupboard since christmas)
1/4 cup coconut oil
egg replacer for 2 eggs
3 medium sized bananas
1/3 cup plain coconut kefir
1 teaspoon vanilla

*remember to preheat the oven to 350!  i always forget and have to wait another 15 minutes for the slow-to-warm-up apartment stove and it just delays the satisfaction even more.  beat the coconut oil and honey together till its really combined.  add egg replacer, bananas, kefir, and vanilla, then beat beat beat it up.  dump in the flour, soda and salt and mix until its all moist and yummy (oh yeah, with the chocolate chips, too. don't forget those).  grease a bread pan and spoon the dough in.  finally, shut it up in the oven for a full hour (too long, i know! but no peaking).  after, let it cool in the pan on a cooling wrack for five minutes before slipping it out and enjoying a thick, delicious slice!

rainy days aren't so bad when you have time to whip up some fabulous warm food, are they?
what are your favorite rainy day recipes?

no worries

i have this little sticky note stuck to the overhang of my desk - right above my computer screen.  it's yellow, an energizing, soothing and happy color (the color of the sun).  it's a reminder to take a few yoga breaths, stretch a little, smile at my homework, and say a little prayer.  it's been quite the help this week preparing for all these crazy tests (another one down!).

it simply reads:
i am free from excess worry.

to me, it's a powerful statement.  one that brings a little more balance and perspective to my life.  it reminds me of a woman that i would visit with my mother when i was young.  her name was shiela and she lived in a little trailer surrounded by animal cages.  every desert animal imaginable loved this woman, and she loved them back. snakes, raccoons, wolves, coyotes, golden eagles... you name it, she probably rescued it at some point.  besides all the furry (and scaly and feathered) animals to make friends with, i predominantly remember one thing about sheila, the phrase she would say to mother often:
don't worry, just pray.

so.  because worrying never gets anyone anywhere in life (except for stressed and sick), i'm not going to worry about the rest of my tests.  i'll study, and i'll pray.  but no more worries.
(i'll be controlling this with a very large quantity of yoga breaths, spaced throughout the remaining few days).

so. to all you worriers out there: stop for a moment.  then just pray.  and see what happens.

it's a random day.

i have a visitor this week!

at an attempt to maintain my sanity through the last push of the semester, i captured my sister hailey.

she's definitely keeping up my spirits while i'm doing everything i can not to get sick:

feeding me nutella,

sitting me in front of the couch to watch a knight's tale,

and giving me a little bit of company in my last few classes (only one left!).

really, only one left.  one class. three tests. 

yesterday was so busy (and sleep was so little the night before) that i was physically ill.

but.

the sun is shining. the sky has given provo beautiful showers at night and the sun still scares the clouds away in the early morning.  i love springtime. 

i have an unusually short attention span this morning.

i can't wait to finish fablehaven (my guilty pleasure fantasy series of the year).

i can't wait to really test out my sewing machine.

i have thirteen different lists on my desk... is that bad luck, do you think?

i have fresh strawberries in my fridge.

and kefir. we'll see if i like it - it's a trial run.

i switched some of the fortunes on my bulletin board this morning (it's been quite a while).

today's fortune:

today is a good time to take some extra relaxation. 

i think it's telling me to lay off the studying, go finish that test now, and then buy myself some frozen yogurt. don't you think?

catch up

it seems i've been having more adventures than i expected, lately!  life is always busier at the end of a semester than any other time of the year, and this time around, as the pace of school picked up, the mounting level of homework squeezed everything else entirely out of my brain.  including the good old blog, apparently.

but, i persevere.

just to catch up a little...

the presentation: much better than expected.  scared me to pieces (as most public speaking related assignments do), took entirely too much time to prepare, covered a gargantuan amount of fascinating research (the effects of personality on marital outcomes), and is now over.  it felt so good. and it feels even better now that i can breath again.

one and a half weeks left of the semester - it's going by so quickly i almost don't dare to blink for fear i'll forget to take one of the remaining four exams.  luckily, this semester has been a little boost to my gpa - thus, i don't have to worry quite so much about minimum qualifications to keep my scholarship.  

now: my focus shifts (again) to a job hunt... which i'm relating more and more to a witch hunt.  i'm jumping at every minuscule sign and opportunity.  

despite the busy level jumping from 10 to 20 the last two weeks, i have had a few little adventures (that didn't involve presentations, papers, or gpas).  more to come about these few things very soon: the return of the roommate, the beginning of the tolkien marathon, old friends reunited, new vegetarian friends found, an exciting update on fibromyalgia issue, and some absolutely incredible new recipes (which is usually the case after another trip home - you can't be around my mother for very long and not find at least a few new favorite recipes!).  

but. those are for later. 

for now, it's time for a sunday nap.

goodnight!

trails.

several times this weekend, i've found myself on the wrong trail.  twice, attempted hikes in beautiful provo canyon turned into paranoid wandering on bike trails (just hoping all the unsuspecting bikers were more than a little observant).  however, even though i never actually found a hiking trail, enjoying the beauty of early summer and provo canyon was unquestionably worth one almost-bike-wreck and several scrambles off the trail to safety.  

all this searching for hiking trails only to wander in circles on bike trails has me thinking about a different kind of trail - a metaphorical one.  my life trail.  despite feeling rather lost, aimless, and devoid of destination in the mountains, i came back to my snug little number 205 knowing that i was, without a doubt, on the right trail.  it's quite the contrast, that aimless hiking and this destination-driven life style i'm living right now.  goals are good things, they take the frustration out of the hike, insert each step with purpose.

but i guess we all have to get out and enjoy the scenery with no plan.. every once in a while.

ps. i didn't eat my strawberries fast enough this week.  actually, smith's sold me already old strawberries. so. moldy strawberries. sad day.

i'm going back to bed.

i woke up this morning with a runny nose. and a tiny bit of a sore throat.  and a headache.

and i have a presentation my whole life is resting on - tuesday.

i

can't

get

sick.

i know my body is worn out with how busy and stressful the semester's been, but really? now?

a week ago, i could have dealt with it.

in another week, it wouldn't be so bad either.

but now? 

please, no.

please, please, no.

i

can't 

get sick

right now!

i guess it's time to go back to sleep.

drink an extra green smoothie - and more water.

double up my fruits and veggies.

start taking echinacea

and stop being so darn stressed out!

i love you, nathaniel eaton.

i had a flashback today.  i think at least 75% middle school girls daydream about the school's quarterback, basketball captain, or another macho real-life epitome of "modern masculinity".  the other 25% is a hodgepodge of girls who either have their head on straight or their head in the clouds: 1) girls who can already see that their interests are better served away from the over-popularized jocks, and 2) the real daydreamers - the ones smitten with book characters.  i was the latter.  and nathaniel eaton was my kind of man.

anyone who's read "the witch of blackbird pond" will agree that it is just one of those books that touches you deep down inside.  that understands what being different feels like.  that teaches about real friendship.  that shows you things will all work out in the end.  in short, if this book were a person, it would be my kindred spirit.  if kit tyler was a real girl, i'm positive we would get along fabulously.  it's one of those books that someday i'll pull off my bookshelf and hand to my teenage daughter, because she needs to know that it's okay to be different or understand the value of true friendship and determination.

really, it's no surprise that nat eaton became my crush of all time.  i connected with the plot so much that i think it was sort of inevitable, despite his relatively small role in the story.  

today, i saw a boy who reminded me very much of nat.  same brown unkempt hair as the nat in my head, with the same sailor-tanned skin and mostly average looks.  and i remembered how absolutely head over heals for this fictional ideal of a romancer i used to be.  true, he did burn down the house kit's fiancée built for her, and a few times when the plot absolutely demanded his comforting presence, he was absent.  but. even though his absent life as a sailor kept him away, he was her friend.

he jumped into the ocean to rescue her - even though she knew how to swim.

and you have to admit, there's something beautifully romantic about burning down the house his competitor built - and to woo their subject, too (with jack-o-lanterns, of all things)... not to mention the fact that he was sailor.  in books, that's usually all it takes to spell romantic.

so, nathaniel eaton, i loved you.  and i don't think it was all that bad of a daydream, either.  it taught me to value friendship - in more ways than one.  it taught me that i could be loved, even if i felt very, very different from the other girls.  and it formed a schema for relational friendship, a standard, so to speak, for the boys that would befriend me in the future.

yep.  good flashback. 

now back to reality: on the subject of fabulous friends, a surprise present came to my door yesterday!
flowers for jessica.  guess who they were from?

they were from superman.

i'm a lucky girl.  after all, how many people get flowers from superman, anyway?

a new kind of yum.

so.
today was stressful, this week is stressful.  but to counter the heightening tension spring semester is causing, i've decided to feed myself particularly well and make time for emotional wind-down while i cook and eat (instead of studying while i eat, which is {unfortunately} the usual).

today, i found a new favorite recipe!  really, it's fabulous.  i was a little skeptical at first, but wanted to try it just because it looked so darn beautiful - and as we all know, beautiful food always tastes better.  okay, maybe i'm at the liberty of the food photographers sometimes, but hey.  this time, it paid off.  the blog i snatched the recipe from is also quickly becoming another favorite.

http://ohsheglows.com/

if all her recipes are as good as this one, then i'll definitely be trying more from her archives.

these are her "you're so cheezy" savory oats:  http://ohsheglows.com/2010/03/03/youre-so-cheezy/
1/2 cup oats
1 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk (i didn't have any on hand, so i used soy milk)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/6 cube vegetable bouillon
tumeric
and a little salt.
practically the easiest (and one of the quickest) delicious dinners ever.  put everything in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer on low for about ten (ish) minutes.  i topped mine with home-made crumbled flax crackers, sliced avocado, salsa, and black beans. absolutely delicious.  make sure to check out the link, too - she has some great pictures of it, and her post is super fun.

to even further convince you of this deliciousness, it passed the non-vegan taste test.  christine, a non-vegan food lover, came to dinner to try my new find and loved it just as much as i did!  she also gave me a recipe that i'll be trying soon for sweet potato scones - yeah. talk about yum.

hope i've left you drooling.  by the way, i just bought nutritional yeast and besides using it for the loads of savory oats i'm going to be making, i want some other good recipes that taste veganly cheesy, so i'd love some suggestions!

eat on, and be happy.