enjoying the little things

In my time off between high school and college, it is my main goal to focus on doing things that make me happy. Life has been pretty busy these last few months(maybe even years) and I have had very little time to do the things I love- take pictures, cook, draw, plant a garden, be creative, etc... Now that I have time on my hands again I get to do these things & boy does it make me happy :).

Cooking has always been a favorite of mine. I love being able to experiment with ingredients and come up with delightful combinations. This is probably why Ratatouille is one of my favorite movies of all time :). Today's challenge was to make potato leek soup. It was so good & I would love to share the recipe with you. This recipe is from my sister Melissa. She is a master when it comes to cooking. All I did was re-create the recipe and take pictures :).

Potato Leek Soup

Ingredients:

Garlic- 1 clove

Leek- 1

Vegetable Broth- 1 box or 2 cans

Milk or Half n' Half- 1 cup

Potatoes- 7-8

Parmesan- a lot :)

To begin, saute the chopped leeks and garlic in butter in a large soup pot. I used most of a leek and about half a clove of garlic, but you can use however much or little you desire. 

Once they are soft add vegetable broth. Then add chopped potatoes. You can peel them if you like, but to save on time I just used non peeled potatoes. Bring to a boil for a few minutes, then let simmer for a while until the potatoes are soft.

Then add milk or half n' half- 1/2 a cup to 1 cup depending on how creamy you like it. Then add a handful or so of grated Parmesan (or 5 handfuls if you are like me :) and salt and pepper. Let it all simmer for a bit, then cool. Let it cool because the next step involves putting it through the blender. This will take 3-4 stages depending on how big your blender is, but fill you blender 2/3 of the way and blend it until the leeks and potatoes and no longer chunky. Because they are so soft it does not take long. You will need another pan to put the blended soup into. At this point if it is too thick you can add more milk. 

Then garnish with a little cheese if you like.

Viola!

Love.

Today is a day for love. I am extremely grateful for the family & friends I get to love & live life with- those who are with me every step of the way- through my hardest times & biggest milestones.

Speaking of big milestones, today is my 300th post! I started this blog when I was in 8th grade and I am so glad I did. I enjoy looking through my archives and reliving moments of my life. I appreciate all of your comments and encouragement along the way & I would like to celebrate with a giveaway! What better way to beat the mid February dullness than to win a little box of fun? 

Here are a few of my favorite things. :)

1. Accessory dish (I find it great for holding bobby pins & earrings) 2. Two white & gold striped gift bags 3. Kraft paper gift tags & twine 4. Set of 10 "hello" greeting cards 5. Anchor necklace from my recent travels in San Diego :) 6. 2 Sharpie pens- these are a must have in my opinion 7. 1 roll of bicycle washi tape 8. White storage box

There you have it. Its nothing huge, but just a few small things that may brighten your day. All you need to do to enter is answer the following question in the comments. 

What is your favorite thing about Spring?

Giveaway ends next Friday the 21st & winner will be announced next Saturday!

 Happy Valentines Day! xoxo

Sunshine.

I hope you are all surviving this cold snap! I think it is safe to say we are almost out of it and looking towards the good old warm(er) rain next week.

On Wednesday I had the privilege of going to the NIKE headquarters for a day with their shoe designers. It was AMAZING! My favorite part of the day was when their Color Designer was talking about where they get inspiration for their shoes and what not. It was a great a experience to say the least. 

This week I also took my tests for college and scored the highest I could, which is good because it opens up more classes for me to take for this next quarter. I also attended a meeting for my program. It was so inspiring & exciting. I finally felt like there is something in my life that I will be pursuing and it is going to be stable for the most part. As an over organizer in personality, it is nice to finally have a plan again. I am all about the plan. :)

While I am definitely looking forward to this new challenge in school, I am going to put that aside this week for a much needed vacation. My mom and I are heading to sunny & warm San Diego for a few days. I wont be posting for a bit, but be sure to check back around Valentines Day for my next post. Its going to be exciting & you wont want to miss it. I will give you some time to guess about what it might be. :) See you all next week! 

Dreams & Realities

This week is going to be a week where dreams become real. Things I have been waiting for are finally happening.

1. Our very own Seattle Seahawks won the Superbowl yesterday in an unbelievable fashion. 43-8. We did not just beat them, we crushed them. I don't think there has ever been a day where I have cheered so loud and consumed so many skittles. What a joyful celebration it was. It is not everyday that you can sit in front of the TV eating terrible yet good food and erupting in shouts and screams while hugging and high fiving family and friends. 2.2.14 is a day I will always remember- a day when the dream of our very own team getting a Lombardi became a reality. 

Now for a more personal dream becoming a reality.

2. In September, an opportunity arose for me to apply for a Design Academy at the NIKE headquarters. The application process involved designing your own shoe and answering questions about why you should be selected for this Design Academy. Getting accepted meant a whole day with top shoe designers from NIKE, Adidas, Puma, a tour of the NIKE headquarter campus and your own custom NIKE sketchbook. I am pretty sure that is not all, but just some of the highlights. Anyway I applied. I was not sure I would get in as they only accept 35 students. A few weeks after applying I was notified I was accepted. The only thing is they cancelled the fall one- which is the one I applied too, but they held a spot for me in the winter one. Tomorrow I am traveling down for this event. I am so excited. My Dad is taking me and he is pretty stoked too. It is going to be a special trip- that is for sure.