Spirited Shannon

Oh, Avocado... How I Love Thee.

2012-03-01T23:02:00.000Z

Avocados. Those funny looking fruits at the grocery store. Buttery in taste and texture, rich in nutrients and vitamins... plus that amazing delicious green color. Perfect for Saint Patrick's Day, though not custom fare on this rock in the sea, much to my chagrin.

My mouth waters just at the thought of them. *droooool*

I have purchased at least 20 avocados since I have lived in Ireland and only ONE of them has been good. When I find them in the grocery store, they're either tiny (see below) and rock hard or decently sized and... you guessed it... rock hard. Usually, by the time they ripen, they're all brown and stringy inside - in other words, gross.

umm... what the crap?!

When I lived in the states, I would buy 3-4 avocados a week and eat them in sandwiches with sprouts and a bit of mayo, on toast with a bit of salt and pepper, or my favorite way - in homemade guacamole. My best friend and I have come up with a few different recipes to make it, and we used to eat it together on the couch while watching our favorite television shows. We tried making an avocado smoothie once, but it turned out to be a failure.
Those were really the only ways I had ever heard of using avocados. Enter Pinterest.

Read more »

Crazy Diets, Failure, and Success

2012-02-23T12:20:00.001Z

I'd like to start this post with a little self pat on the back: I've lost 15 and a half pounds as of today! Woo!! And it feels so good!

(visit my profile and be friends on My Fitness Pal by clicking the image)

Over the last many years, I have tried a LOT of things to lose weight. I mean, a lot a lot. First, there were the diet pills joined with eating better. Then there was just regular ole eating better and exercise. I lost a couple pounds that way but hovered at the same weight for a month before I got discouraged and ate an entire cake... haha! I tried Couch to 5k, in which I lost exactly zero fat but did gain stamina, which I appreciated... before I quit. In September last year, I drastically reduced my drinking, and this year, I am proud to say that I have only had one drink - and I was peer pressured into it.
I kept my calories below 1200, and swam 2 to 3 times a week. I did that for more than three months, with no change. It was the first time I had been really inspired to stick to my goal, and I felt like a failure.
Read more »

Homemade Deodorant

2012-02-18T14:15:00.000Z

Back in November, I decided to switch from using commercial deodorant to homemade deodorant, and I have to tell you - the difference was amazing. I had never considered it before, but had searched out deodorants without aluminum tetrachlorohydrex gly as a teenager with my mom after she was diagnosed with Lymphoma. To our great surprise, some studies showed that aluminum tetrachlorohydrex gly was linked to cancer, and we just decided to figure out an alternative. At the time, the alternative was to just use non antiperspirants... but as the years wore on, I didn't necessarily enjoy sweating all the time (especially when my Alaskan self lived in hot and humid Ohio), and I switched back to regular antiperspirant.

More Randomness

2012-02-07T18:22:00.001Z

I have a few topics in the works, one which is near and dear to my heart is homemade deodorant, but I am in the midst of creating a recipe to share with you soon, so that must wait. In the mean time, here is some randomness for you :-)

- I have started a new diet, and lost 7 pounds! Of course I will share this experience with you, but perhaps after a few more weeks of (hopeful) success.

- There is a seemingly never ending pile of laundry to be done. We hang our clothes to dry and only have one rack, so usually I can only do two loads at a time before the rack is completely full. I'd love to dry some clothes outside, but winter means rain in Ireland. In the mean time, I stare longingly at my dryer.

- I have been learning two new boardgames with V. We have mastered the simple version of Through the Ages which has about 89234729 tiny pieces, and V is reading up on how to play the hard version of the game. It's taken him two days of memorizing and reading and checking things out online which makes me worry that we'll never be able to play the advanced version of the game. Definitely not for the faint of heart. The other game is Arkham Horror. There's about a million things to learn in that game too, including about 9,000 tiny pieces, 3,000 different decks of cards for varying situations, and of course all the little cardboard bits representing your life, money, sanity, etc. So... we've been trying for a couple weeks now and have only gotten through part of one game.

- The mornings are starting to get lighter. I have noticed that there's light in the bedroom at 7:45am now when only a couple weeks ago, it was completely dark until about 8:30. Hooray! Spring is coming!

- Our winter has been very mild this year. Considering last year's frigidness, and snow, we have only had one tiny flurry and mostly stayed around the 40's F. I find myself ok with this.

- Bilbo has been liking to snuggle up next to my side during the night, so I have been waking up with a ball of fur attached to my ribs. He has been very cuddly and I must admit that I kinda love it.

- I received an OtterBox iPhone case in the post recently, and it has changed the way I use my iPhone. Before, I had a flimsy plastic case and felt like I had to be ultra super careful when I used my phone, not to drop it (I did anyways... the worst is that we have a TILE floor... ugh). This new case is super cushioned and padded and impact resistant - and wouldn't you know, I haven't dropped it once? haha

- I have been drinking water and tea like a madwoman lately.

- I have also cut out all sugar from my daily intake. Bread too. I miss bread.

- Our house is growing moss. Not in the aesthetically pleasing way either. Just a slimy-ish green film on the outside of the house and on the patio. Time to rent a pressure washer, I think!

- The wallpaper in our living room has started giving me anxiety. It's this crazy pattern of vertical squiggly stripes in shades of grey and black and white. I hate it and avoid looking at it at all costs. I am considering replacing it, but need to ask my landlords' permission.

- I stubbed my toe.

- I have run out of randomness for you. :-)

The Chaos

2012-01-27T10:49:00.000Z

As you may or may not know, my husband is Polish. All of the family on his side speak Polish, and nobody that I have met yet, speaks English other than his siblings... in which case, only his brother is actually comfortable with speaking English (which he does very well, as much as he may think otherwise).

I have been sllllooowwwlllyyy learning the Polish language ever since I met my husband, who thankfully, is a stickler for pronunciation; his parents are too, which I assume is where he learned to be so adamant about it.

V: it's "cześć"... easy. It means "hello".

Me: cheeeee---

V: no. Czeeeeeeeeśśśśććć

Me: chhoooooo---

V: no. Cheh. Sh. Ch. Cześć.

Me: chaaaaaaa---

V: *facepalm*

myself as I imagine I look saying,"Brzeczyszczykiewicz..."

At any rate, my pronunciation of the words I know is very decent (at least that's what my husband tells me...), but in the Polish language, saying something and reading something is a completely different experience for a learner, as there are all kinds of new accents on letters and sooo many "z"s!!! "Dz" does not sound at all like "sz" or "cz", which do sound kind of like "ś" and "ć" but they aren't. It often makes my head spin.

At any rate, as a native English speaker, I tend to think that English as a whole is much easier to learn than Polish... or I did, until I read a poem called "The Chaos" by Dutch writer Gerard Nolst Trenité (1870 - 1946) which I will share with you now...

The Chaos

No Poo

2012-01-23T11:31:00.000Z

NO POO!!

ok... ok I don't mean constipation.
When I first heard the term "no poo" I really thought, without reading further, that someone was talking about not pooping.
I was wrong, now I am "no poo" too, and you can be too!

(img source)

Crochet

2012-01-22T11:42:00.000Z

Lately, I have just been inspired by crochet. I can't get enough.

Sleep

2012-01-17T17:16:00.001Z

It's true what they say - you don't know what you're missing until it's gone.

New Year, New Resolution

2012-01-07T22:35:00.000Z

Yaaay resolution! I used to be a big fan of new years' resolutions but after many attempts, I found the only real success I had with one (read: my only resolution that lasted past February) was when I was 14. I went on a soda/cola/pop/fizzy drink fast with my older brother and whomever broke the fast first lost. We lasted until about May when my brother sheepishly called me to tell me he had given in to some Dr. Pepper.
A worthy drink to break your soda fast on, indeed.

The last several years have not included a new years resolution for me. Sure, I joked about one now and then but I haven't really committed to one at the beginning of the year in at least 5 years, that I recall.

I have decided on January 1 that I would like to have a new years resolution this year, and share it with you here on my blog!

Drumroll please...

Read more »

Bunratty Castle

2012-01-05T21:40:00.001Z

Just a quick snap as I drove by (I pulled over to take it) on my way home from Shannon, Co. Clare for a family session.
Clouds, rain, and insane wind all day... all day that is, until I finished my shoot. Blah.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T14:09:00.002Z

New year is always fun for me. The last two new years eves were spent either sleeping after a fantastic meal or watching a movie and deciding to get married. This year, we spent time with friends making new friends in Cork. We listened to music, ate a bit of food, and danced... which ended with everyone getting styling gel in their hair to make silly hair styles. For me, it was fine, with my new short hair - but for others? Not so much. All in good fun though!

OH! Short hair! Lookie!

I chopped all my hair off! After several attempts to get to platinum blond, my hair had had enough. Brittle and with 2873462873 split ends, I decided it was time.
Read more »

Absent

2011-12-28T19:38:00.001Z

Ohhh my poor blog. I have neglected it so over the last month.

I have been busy with food preparations, party planning, time with friends, and business old and new. My thoughts have wandered to this space more times than I can count, and I just haven't made the time to sit down and post lately... something I hope to remedy in the new year.

V has his vacation time right now, until the first week in January, so we've also been spending loads of time together. It's been really bittersweet to be disconnected, but around this time of the year, it becomes necessary. Time to think, plan, and recharge, ready to face the new year head on!

For now, I think I will continue to relish the quiet times spent near my husband playing board games, reading so many books, and making plans for 2012! Happy New Year, friends and I'll see you again in a few days!

Wax & Pine Cone Firestarters: A Tutorial

2011-12-12T12:49:00.001Z

Last winter, we lived in a cold, cold little cottage. We bought a wood stove and things were much better after that. It's a wonderful thing, a good wood burning stove, but sometimes getting it started can be a pain. As with any fire, you have to start small.

Unfortunately for us, winter was a surprisingly humid season so all of our kindling and yes, even the matches had a hint of dampness that made our fire starting especially difficult. Balls of paper would merely smolder and blacken the tiny bits of sawdust and kindling above it and often, I found myself fiddling with the fire for up to twenty minutes using scads and scads of matches.

Occasionally, we had some leftover wax from tea lights which was helpful in producing a flame that lasted more than 10 seconds before being snuffed out. The thing was, if something could just burn for more than a few seconds at a time, our fire making would have gone a lot smoother.

How I wish that Winter 2011 Shannon knew Winter 2010 Shannon. Some things have changed for us, and A.) this winter so far isn't nearly as biting cold as the last, and B.) we (sadly) no longer have a wood stove but that doesn't stop me from making these cool things anyway!

These fire starters would have saved me hours spent kneeling on the floor with a face full of smoke last winter. They're so easy to make, albeit a bit time-consuming waiting for the wax to melt... but the time spent in the kitchen making these will save you lots of time in front of your wood stove. Also, they're great to give to a friend who has a wood stove! Hooray for easy hand made Christmas gifts!

Getting into the Christmas Spirit: Part Two

2011-12-10T12:00:00.000Z

This post is a continuation of my previous one, "Getting into the Christmas Spirit: Part One".

My contribution to our new traditions has certainly been more about decorations than anything else.

Aside from the village, a decoration that has been with me for ages is this sweet little ceramic angel.

Getting into the Christmas Spirit: Part One

2011-12-09T19:23:00.001Z

I will be the first to admit that up until December first, I am a Scrooge. Christmas decor in the grocery stores in October is ridiculous to me, Christmas music on November the 10th sends me into a fit of inner frustration, and don't even get me started on Christmas trees up before Thanksgiving.

My opinion is - that in the last three months of the year, there are three very fun holidays, each designated with its very own special month. What's better is that each holiday is at the end of each month. Halloween, October 31st. Thanksgiving, the last Thursday of November. Christmas, December 25th. We get an entire month to enjoy each holiday on it's own, but it seems to me that Christmas - or should I say "End-Of-December-Consumerism" is bursting at the seams wanting to be noticed now, Now, NOW!!!

*steps off of soapbox I didn't even realize I stood up on* "How did I get up here?"

But enough about that. This post isn't on Scrooge (me) before the holidays. This post is about Debbie Downer (also me) getting into the Christmas Spirit!

Freebie Fridays

2011-12-02T21:53:00.001Z

Giving Thanks

2011-12-02T21:24:00.001Z

Forgive me, readers, for I have ~~sinned~~ been away. It has been nearly two weeks since my last post... my goodness! Has it really been that long?!

Things in the Spirited household have been neither terribly busy, nor stagnant, but just enough, if you know what I mean. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast-cum-game night with a few friends. It was my first time in several years making pumpkin pie, and my first ever time making it from absolute scratch - including roasting a pumpkin.

my pies before going in the oven

Homemade Mayonnaise

2011-11-19T16:37:00.001Z

For the past three trips to the grocery store, I have forgotten to put mayonnaise on my list. It's not that I use it all that often - it's just that it's one of those things I like to always have.
Need to make a small batch of ranch-style dressing? No problem. Devilled Eggs? No problem!

100 Buzz!

2011-11-16T13:23:00.001Z

I was thinking about my blog last night, and came to the conclusion that without you, my readers, I wouldn't be all that motivated to write as often. Sure, I go through dry spells - we all do - but on a whole, you keep me going! Thank you for that! I really appreciate all the comments I get and input from readers... some of whom I know, and many I do not! I love you guys!

I know that several of you follow my blog here via Google Reader or Bloglovin - but man! My Facebook page is lonely... so I have a little "game" to play. I will BUZZ my hair off if we reach 100 fans on my Facebook page before the end of November.

Read more »

Not Lucky but Winning Anyway

2011-11-14T15:56:00.001Z

I'll be honest with you here - I am not a lucky person.

Blame it on all the years of walking under ladders, opening umbrellas indoors, breaking mirrors, and being a magnet for black cats. My best childhood friend's dog Pixie ate my blue rabbit's foot when we were kids. Then there was the gigantic amount of salt I recently spilled in the kitchen when I dropped a glass jar full of it onto the tile floor.
Read more »

Monday Randomness

2011-11-14T14:20:00.001Z

I have a few things to blog about, but as I was thinking about it - it's just a bunch of little things not worthy (in my opinion) of an entire blog post to themselves... so I present to you, a random babbling post.

- I love/hate waiting for things to come in the post. I ordered a few things recently from Amazon for an upcoming soapmaking adventure. Not all my bits and bobs were shipped together, so I'm stuck waiting for a bunch of different packages to come at varying times.

- I am listening to Yo-yo Ma's most recent collaborative album entitled The Goat Rodeo Sessions. As you may have guessed, it's instrumental and along the same lines as a previous collaboration entitled Appalachian Waltz and I'm loving it.

- I drop my new iPhone far more than I care to admit. I am seriously considering investing in a military grade case for it... after all, we do have tile floors, and I'm sure that this phone will only be able to take so much.

- Apps are my new favorite thing.

- I missed an appointment I had today by about half an hour. I didn't know what hours they were open - so it wasn't really an "appointment" per se - but the place I needed to go to is only open for three hours ONCE a week. Blah.

- Other than my missed appointment, I feel like I've really gotten a lot done today! I did all the dishes (there were a lot because we had a guest over for dinner) and some laundry, plus I went and ran some errands in town.

- I got a new outfit for my husband in the second hand shop! A brand new Polo shirt and a very nice pair of jeans for less than five bucks. I win.

- I failed at dinner last night. I wanted to make my own recipe of potato patties - but completely spaced out about the potatoes and boiled them into oblivion. Instead of just scrapping it, I thought I could save them - and it ended up just being a gloppy, gooey mess.

- Our tile floors are surprisingly freaking cold. All the time. I always have to wear slippers and/or socks around the house. Brr!!

- Under the hardwood floors (upstairs) there are often little warm spots where I imagine an invisible cat has just been sleeping. At first I suspected that our real-life cat had been laying in these places, but he obviously can't be more than one place at one time and there are usually about 5 spots at a time.

- I love having a yard. I can't wait until we're someplace more settled and I can do some of the fun things I see all the time on Pinterest.

- The leftover Chinese Takeout in the fridge (after my dinner failure) is calling my name. Time for lunch!

Back on Track!

2011-11-09T11:04:00.001Z

I have a confession to make. I fell off the wagon.

But only for two weeks, and! I didn't gain any weight back. Even though I wasn't watching my calories and exercising, I managed not to overeat and put back on those 6 pounds I had lost. I'm quite proud of that.

As of yesterday though, I am back on the weight-loss track and more focused than ever thanks to three things. My husband, my dad, and MyFitnessPal.

Corn Dog Muffins: a Recipe

2011-11-05T00:10:00.000Z

So, perhaps I had you drooling over last night's dinner deliciousness... That's why I'm here today to share with you the recipe!

Great is His Faithfulness - Freebie Friday

2011-11-04T23:39:00.000Z

Hello friends! Welcome to another Freebie Friday.

Dinner Time Deliciousness

2011-11-03T18:00:00.001Z

Corn Dog Muffins!

image taken with Instagram on my cool new iPhone 4s... I'm in love.

Click the button below to follow my photo stream!

And don't forget to check back tomorrow for my recipe for Corn Dog Muffins!