Discovered Treasure Trove.....

So... Great things come from unexpected places! I fully believe this.

So I know that I can be a bit.... snobby....when it comes to certain things. So when Jesse told me that he wanted to go to the Flea Market over the Holiday break... I was like... "Oh, ok. That will be interesting." I just had the picture of this dirty place and people trying to sell their used crap. Then I thought that there might be a chance that I could find an old awesome blender or juicer (since I was looking for one to start my raw again 2010 challenge). So the day after Christmas we woke up semi early (The alarm went off at 6:00am but we didn't get out of bed until 8:00am) and then went to the flea market. There were not alot of vendors there, but we figured that once the holidays were over it will be back to its normal booming self. It was an outdoor market so it was freezing, but what I found was totally worth it. No, I didn't find a juicer or blender, but there were migrant workers there that were selling every kind of fruit and vegetable that you can think of! The carrots were the size of my head. There was fresh cabbages, raddishes, tomatoes, some fuzzy thing that I didn't know what it was. I had to ask! Apparently it is a squash of some sort. A little research and I discovered that it was a chayote squash. I think I might have to try one. I felt like they had almost anything you could imagine and the prices were fantastic. They were selling a huge bag of bananas for $1.00.
The Plan is to stop by the market again Sunday and stock up on food for the week. I take pictures and let you know what we get. (just excuse the phone camera pictures until I get a new digital camera).

I also did get my Juicer, but I went to the evil Walmart for it. :) It isnt the best juicer in the world but it will last me until I save up enough money for a high end one. :)

So only a few more days until the challenge starts. I am really excited!

Nookie Nookie

For an early Christmas present I received the Barnes and Noble Nook from my mother. My sister and I both got one. We actually got really lucky because I think that she ordered them on the first day they came available for pre-order. So we were not subject to the terrible February 1st shipping date that is now the standard for pre-odering. (If you are one of the ones waiting for your nook... it is worth it!) So after all the delays and push-backs that Barnes and noble had, I finally got my nook! I have to admit that it was totally worth the wait. Never having an e-reader before I was very worried that I would not like not having an actual book in my hands. But I was very pleasantly surprised!

It is light weight and does not feel awkward to hold. I find that reading in bed is nice too because my arms are not getting tired from holding up a heavy book while I lay down.

The book selection is great, and have yet to look for a book that I was not able to come across. I was even able to find a few raw books (http://rawagain2010.weebly.com/blog.html) on e-book, so that has been awesome. Barnes and Noble has also starting accepting gift cards for e-books which makes it a lot easier buy me presents. lol.

They also have the Nook set up to where you can put your own pictures on it as your screen saver and wallpaper (pic is of my niece Gabi on Halloween) I was able to put pictures of my sister and nieces. It is nice to see their pictures every time I go to read a book. I miss the terribly and am having a hard time adjusting to their moving away. (I went to visit them over the weekend and it was very hard to leave.) You can also transfer MP3's and PDF files to it, so I have started putting some knitting patterns and raw recipes onto it for easier reference. It really works out great from me since I do not have a printer. This is much easier!

There are also a lot of covers and accessories available on B&N.com. I was to get a back cover, but I am going to wait until they actually start carrying them in the stores before I get one. I want to make sure I can see the actual colors before I purchase them. My sister has said that she would make me a sleeve for it. I am excited about it because hers is absolutely awesome!. I should get that in the mail from her any day now! :) I will post pictures of it once it comes in.

Raw Again 2010 Challenge

Hello to everyone!

So I have talked with a couple of friends who have decided that they too are going to go raw in 2010 starting in January.... (The boyfriend might even give it a go... he is still skeptical.

I am super excited about this and I can't wait to see how I do. The goal is to stay raw for 365 days. This is going to be a very difficult task, but one that is so rewarding once completed.

To celebrate the kick-off of this personal challenge and to get me even more psyched and motivated I have created a website for it. This new site will track my progress, food prep, emotions, inspirational stories, readings, etc. http://rawagain2010.weebly.com/

Please feel free to check out the new site and post comments for any inspiration, books, etc that you have come across that you think I would enjoy. (Any little bit of support will help keep me going all the longer).

I will still post everyday life stuff here, and will do a quick update on my raw again in 2010 progress, so please keep checking back.

Christmas Time!

I was getting totally bummed out because Christmas was around the corner and I was not feeling the seasonal rush what-so-ever. My sister had moved away from me just in time for the holidays and I didn't have any Christmas decorations at all in my house. The only Christmas-y thing I did this season was to help Jesse (the boyfriend) put up his University of Tennessee Christmas tree that he loves so much.... Yes it is a White tree with orange ornaments, pom poms, and football ornaments. LOL. It is quite breath-taking.... and you can interpret that anyway you would like. lol.

Anyhow, I went to a work Christmas party at a nice restaurant in downtown Chattanooga. That got me feeling a little bit better. At the Christmas party the owner of the company got everyone a $50 gift certificate to Lowe's. I was really bummed out about it and asked Jesse "What the freak (trying not to actually curse anymore) and I going to do with a Lowe's gift certificate. So the next day I was feeling like I would go and look to see if I could get plants to do my terrariums.... Yeah, the ditzy Floridian in me did not take into account that it is winter and Tennesee... so all plants are practically dead (except for orchids and other ones that were kept in the humid indoor garden area. So that was a little bit of a bummer, but as I was walking around outside and freezing my bum off, I passed the christmas tree section and stopped short! They had mini christmas tress that were real! I know I should probably be very upset that a baby tree was cut down to be stuffed into a house, but honestly, The tree was too cute not to adore and I had to have it. It was only $15! SO I got the tree and then made my way to the ornaments sections.

You really would have thought that I was picking out a house, with how long it took me to decided what kind of ornaments I was going to get. Lowe's didn't have a huge selection and I didn't want a very tacky looking tree. So I decided to go with the Apple Theme. I found a tree stick full of apples then I found complimenting red and gold ornaments. I didn't find a tree topper because everything looked cheesy, but I did find mini red bells that I was able to hang all around the tree and all the way to the very top.

I got home and put my tree together, and am very happy to say that I love the result! It really worked to put me into the Christmas spirit.

I am also filling my movie watching regime with Christmas movies. I am planning on watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (I have never seen it). I will have to find a Christmas Story so I can watch that. I have recently watched Love Actually (a wonderful movie for those of you who have not seen it), and I am going to sit down and watch It's a Wonderful Life. I have never seen the whole thing.... last year was actually the first time I had ever seen any of it, and it was the very end. I feel that at 25 years old... (soon to be 26 right after Christmas) this is a shame. So I will be watching the whole thing. I will make Jesse sit and watch it with me! :) He is a good boyfriend, and does not usually gripe about what kind of movies we watch... as long as they arent musicals. What is it with guys and singing?

So It is Christmas time again and though it has taken me a little bit to get into the swing of things, I am ready to go all out!