Okay I just finished the potentially the craziest week of the semester so far. I have an objective in this blog. I want to write it to you to prove a point, however, the point might not make sense until the end so bare with me, because it might sound a little complainy - I'm hoping for it to raise your stress level a little bit...
My last week in a nutshell:
Friday: all day work on take home test (literally all day), missed a meeting, helped at karate, my car will NOT move out of park, cooked dinner for my brother, went to go to bed (at my parent's house) realized I didn't have contact stuff so had to drive home (to my condo) at midnight.
Saturday: help at karate (borrow a belt), study for Sports Nutrition, study... study... study, go to a friend's house, late
Sunday: Study ALL day - watched a sermon online from Mars Hill, study some more, tutor for 2 hours, back to my place and study some more
Monday: wake up to study and finish the take home exam, meeting at 11:30, meeting at 1, test at 2 - in between chaos broke lose and a lot of phone tag and trying to figure out what I can do, class, 15 minutes to buy shoes, pick up a girl from swim, babysit, home at 9, make a powerpoint presentation
Tuesday: day shadowing at the hospital 8-1, drive to school (in my dad's truck) realized I couldn't park on campus without the pass - trying to find a parking lot, get to class, present the presentation, get home finish homework that I forgot online in a panic, run to tutor, run to karate... a little late, borrow a belt, stay at my parent's house
Wednesday: study all morning for accounting, class, run to health center - super sore throat - not enough time, test, class again, tutor calculus, home, watch Nashville - stay up way too late
Thursday: Advanced auto parts for car part, my dad fixes my car, run to karate, online lecture, class 4-8
Did that sound ridiculously stressful? I hope that you see that it was completely packed, I may have even forgotten things... Okay now watch this video (it's 15 minutes, but really worth it)
http://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend.html
Okay now that you have listened to the Ted Talk.
Change perspective:
All of the pressure and determination of studying allowed me to pull all A's on all of my tests (98, 96 and still waiting on the last grade, but I'm sure it's an A)
I made it through the entire week and I am so relieved. Without all of the stress and reactions that my body produced in response I may not have been able to power through it. I am exhausted, but I am feeling great and glad to have stress responses the way that I do. I feel empowered to use pressure for my benefit now rather than let myself feel overpowered by anxiety and stress.
Guess what else! Fixing my car (which I had a melt down about not being able to afford to fix) only cost $9! And it took my dad less than 10 minutes to fix!
So now go out and be empowered to overcome your stressful situations! Believe in what your body is telling you! Talk to people, be social :)
When you don't know what to say, just say Jesus. There is power in His name, trust in Jesus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWbYo6H0WiI
***Please note that not all stress is equal... if they types of stress you face is too little sleep that will negatively affect your body no matter what you think of stress, to fix it sleep the proper amount! If your body is stressed from lack of nutrition, eat a proper balance. If you are stressed because you're bored, exercise - create energy and excitement ***
This was Fall 2013: When You Don't Know What To Say. Stay tuned for more of my fall semester!
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Andie's Kitchen: Homemade Greek Yogurt Experiment
I had a ton of milk that I needed to use up by tomorrow so I figured why not try making my own greek yogurt???
So, here's what I did. I found a recipe and this is what happened.
Step 1: Scald 4 cups milk on high heat for 5-7 minutes.
Step 2: Let cool for 45 minutes to an hour.
Step 3: Add 2 tablespoons live culture greek yogurt
Thank you for joining me today for Andie's Kitchen: Homemade Greek Yogurt Experiment. Stay tuned for more kitchen experiments!
So, here's what I did. I found a recipe and this is what happened.
Step 1: Scald 4 cups milk on high heat for 5-7 minutes.
Step 2: Let cool for 45 minutes to an hour.
Step 3: Add 2 tablespoons live culture greek yogurt
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| Notice Live Culture |
Step 5: Heat oven to warm for 4-10 minutes. Turn off oven and turn on oven LIGHT. Place mixture in oven for up to 12 hours.
Step 6: When the yogurt is settled like below. Strain for 2-4 hours. (I accidentally strained too long and had to add back some whey)
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| Notice how it falls off the sides easily. |
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| Strain with a thin cloth. |
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| Mix with honey and store! |
Thank you for joining me today for Andie's Kitchen: Homemade Greek Yogurt Experiment. Stay tuned for more kitchen experiments!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Captured by a Dream: Anti-human trafficking
Several years ago if you would have asked me what the term trafficking meant I would have responded, "I'm not sure, the act of making traffic?"
By the time I graduated college in 2010 I had heard of trafficking - diamond minds in Africa, sweat shops in China, and brothels in Thailand. What I didn't know was how much bigger and more worldwide the industry was.
In 2012, I embarked on a journey that would change my life forever. I moved to a remote Amazon city in Peru - Iquitos. I had been there twice before for missions trips and it was the city my sister was adopted from, but I had no idea what the city had become and how great the need I would find there.
During my stay I was exposed to a culture surrounded by drugs. The church had opened a Safe House for ex-drug addicted men. These men lived on the streets and have done every bad thing a sheltered girl like myself could never have imagined. It was incredible to see how God was changing these men - breaking the chains of addiction in Jesus' name. His grace truly is enough.
The news of the salvations and healings spread and the house kept growing. A young woman named Jessica, a prostitute for over 10 years, sought out refuge from the church - but unfortunately they only had a home for men, leaving no where for her to stay. Months later the missionaries found out she was in the hospital dying from AIDS, at age 29. They brought her into their home where she received Jesus and stayed until her last day.
Before her death Jessica expressed her love for her friends by saying that someone needs to save them by sharing Jesus with them. She dreamed of a house for women and children - believing that if she had been give the opportunity a few years earlier then she might not be dying.
Prostitution is not a choice profession. Many of the women were put into it by their families around the age of 8 or 9. They were trafficked. After coming back to the States I learned that Iquitos is the number one hub for child sex trafficking in Peru and the number one child tourism location on the Amazon River.
Upon a return trip to Peru this past January I learned that Iquitos has bars where they sell children with their beverages, they have 1 sol camps set up for 'in & out' business, they keep children locked up during the day in dark rooms - most on drugs, and they are sending them all over Peru and Brazil almost daily.
In an article I read they explained the extreme poverty of Iquitos is because they cannot export goods and tade easily because they do not have roads out of the city, so they have discovered one 'good' that can be reused and reused and reused and even exported.
The demand for children and young women is growing everyday, with Brazil becoming the lead in the sex-trade industry this past year.
Jesus tells us that when we love one another through giving shelter, clothing, food, water, and the gospel we are loving Him.
The women and children victims of this tragic industry need shelter, clothing, food, water and the gospel. Please partner with us on this project. Let awareness become responsibility - I challenge you to stand up for change - stand up for Jesus.
Check out: abundantlifeforperu.com and check out Captured by a Dream.
By the time I graduated college in 2010 I had heard of trafficking - diamond minds in Africa, sweat shops in China, and brothels in Thailand. What I didn't know was how much bigger and more worldwide the industry was.
In 2012, I embarked on a journey that would change my life forever. I moved to a remote Amazon city in Peru - Iquitos. I had been there twice before for missions trips and it was the city my sister was adopted from, but I had no idea what the city had become and how great the need I would find there.
During my stay I was exposed to a culture surrounded by drugs. The church had opened a Safe House for ex-drug addicted men. These men lived on the streets and have done every bad thing a sheltered girl like myself could never have imagined. It was incredible to see how God was changing these men - breaking the chains of addiction in Jesus' name. His grace truly is enough.
The news of the salvations and healings spread and the house kept growing. A young woman named Jessica, a prostitute for over 10 years, sought out refuge from the church - but unfortunately they only had a home for men, leaving no where for her to stay. Months later the missionaries found out she was in the hospital dying from AIDS, at age 29. They brought her into their home where she received Jesus and stayed until her last day.
Before her death Jessica expressed her love for her friends by saying that someone needs to save them by sharing Jesus with them. She dreamed of a house for women and children - believing that if she had been give the opportunity a few years earlier then she might not be dying.
Prostitution is not a choice profession. Many of the women were put into it by their families around the age of 8 or 9. They were trafficked. After coming back to the States I learned that Iquitos is the number one hub for child sex trafficking in Peru and the number one child tourism location on the Amazon River.
Upon a return trip to Peru this past January I learned that Iquitos has bars where they sell children with their beverages, they have 1 sol camps set up for 'in & out' business, they keep children locked up during the day in dark rooms - most on drugs, and they are sending them all over Peru and Brazil almost daily.
In an article I read they explained the extreme poverty of Iquitos is because they cannot export goods and tade easily because they do not have roads out of the city, so they have discovered one 'good' that can be reused and reused and reused and even exported.
The demand for children and young women is growing everyday, with Brazil becoming the lead in the sex-trade industry this past year.
Jesus tells us that when we love one another through giving shelter, clothing, food, water, and the gospel we are loving Him.
The women and children victims of this tragic industry need shelter, clothing, food, water and the gospel. Please partner with us on this project. Let awareness become responsibility - I challenge you to stand up for change - stand up for Jesus.
Check out: abundantlifeforperu.com and check out Captured by a Dream.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Fall 2013: Objective Overload
Do you ever feel like life is going one million miles an hour? That your life is going so fast and you're going to fall behind? This semester has proven to be one of those times in life when I am just not sure I can keep up. Here is a peek into my crazy day and weekend to come. Now it's not a bad schedule, it's just packed as full as it can get!
Today....Thursday...normally my relaxed day.
5 am someone was patting my face... I wake up to see Pebbles really close staring right at me, looking at me with these big cat eyes saying "Please pet me" - I couldn't resist I pet her for a few minutes until she decided that she was content and went into a different room.
8 am I give up the idea of sleeping until 9 and get my day started early. I finished my 1.5 hour online lecture and took notes and was completely bored out of my mind learning about enteral nutrition... which could be interesting except it was like listening to a text book and no personality.
1130 am I head to Karate practice because I need some serious exercise in my life and cannot skip Thursday afternoon fun. Karate was a lot of fun, my shoulders are still a bit sore. We're working on a bonomi form (it's a taekwondoe weapon... aka stick). It's really fun. Maybe I'll take a video and post it sometime.
Immediately from Karate at 1 pm I went to Elevation Blakeney for this weekend's worship run through, because guess what... the choir gets to sing! Not only do we get to sing, but we get to sing my favorite hymn of all time In Christ Alone.
At 2 30 I went back to my place made lunch (bolognese yumm) and finished some last minute homework.
I then left for class which started at 5... I'm in class right now... oops. But, I am listening don't worry.
This weekend:
Friday - 10am haircut. 2pm pick up some cute kids from the bus stop. 3-5 swim practice, maybe some TCBY? Make dinner and watch a movie... I'm thinking I should introduce them to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers :) Kids are asleep by 9, then I get to do homework.
Saturday - Bringing the kids to watch me help teach Karate from 9-930... filling in the time until swim practice again and Blakeney playground. We're going to make a great lunch and bake something tasty, dress up and have a photo shoot. Then I finish at 5 to babysit again at 645.
Sunday - Choir!!! 8am start, finish right before Music Video practice 2-3, 315 I run over to tutor calculus then I head straight back to Elevation at 4. After the last Worship Experience I'm heading straight to my friend's house for the Jessica House Release Party. Wow that's a long but fun day!
The rest of my week is not as exciting... just homework and classes and work. OH wait! I do start my preceptorship with a Dietitian at Levine Children's hospital on Tuesday! Yay!
That was Fall 2013: Objective Overload. Stay tuned for more of my rollercoaster ride!
Today....Thursday...normally my relaxed day.
5 am someone was patting my face... I wake up to see Pebbles really close staring right at me, looking at me with these big cat eyes saying "Please pet me" - I couldn't resist I pet her for a few minutes until she decided that she was content and went into a different room.
8 am I give up the idea of sleeping until 9 and get my day started early. I finished my 1.5 hour online lecture and took notes and was completely bored out of my mind learning about enteral nutrition... which could be interesting except it was like listening to a text book and no personality.
1130 am I head to Karate practice because I need some serious exercise in my life and cannot skip Thursday afternoon fun. Karate was a lot of fun, my shoulders are still a bit sore. We're working on a bonomi form (it's a taekwondoe weapon... aka stick). It's really fun. Maybe I'll take a video and post it sometime.
Immediately from Karate at 1 pm I went to Elevation Blakeney for this weekend's worship run through, because guess what... the choir gets to sing! Not only do we get to sing, but we get to sing my favorite hymn of all time In Christ Alone.
At 2 30 I went back to my place made lunch (bolognese yumm) and finished some last minute homework.
I then left for class which started at 5... I'm in class right now... oops. But, I am listening don't worry.
This weekend:
Friday - 10am haircut. 2pm pick up some cute kids from the bus stop. 3-5 swim practice, maybe some TCBY? Make dinner and watch a movie... I'm thinking I should introduce them to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers :) Kids are asleep by 9, then I get to do homework.
Saturday - Bringing the kids to watch me help teach Karate from 9-930... filling in the time until swim practice again and Blakeney playground. We're going to make a great lunch and bake something tasty, dress up and have a photo shoot. Then I finish at 5 to babysit again at 645.
Sunday - Choir!!! 8am start, finish right before Music Video practice 2-3, 315 I run over to tutor calculus then I head straight back to Elevation at 4. After the last Worship Experience I'm heading straight to my friend's house for the Jessica House Release Party. Wow that's a long but fun day!
The rest of my week is not as exciting... just homework and classes and work. OH wait! I do start my preceptorship with a Dietitian at Levine Children's hospital on Tuesday! Yay!
That was Fall 2013: Objective Overload. Stay tuned for more of my rollercoaster ride!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Andie's Kitchen: Flour Tortillas
Today I decided that buying flour tortillas is too expensive considering they typically only come in packs of 8. To avoid going to the store today I made the bold decision to make homemade flour tortillas. I found a great recipe on allrecipes.com. It was also really simple which is a definite plus!
The fun part of making homemade tortillas is the mixing with the dough your hands. When I have the opportunity to really create and mold food with my hands it is makes me feel like an accomplished cook. When I envision great cooks I think more of heritage and ethnicity in its purest form rather than a culinary school artist chef. So taking the time to really create delicious foods like homemade tortillas really speaks to me and makes me grateful for all of the women in Mexico who have continuously kept tradition and passed the art down. I would recommend to everyone to try a truly from scratch approach to a meal at least once in your life. You will not regret it!
Also, along with my homemade tortillas I made homemade refried beans. I soaked my pinto and black bean mixture (the hard beans in a bag) for around 8 hours, then boiled them for 40 minutes and fried them in butter, onions, cheese, garlic salt, cayenne, and cumin. They were amazing, and a wonderful compliment to the tortilla!
This was Andie's Kitchen: Flour Tortillas. I hope you enjoyed cooking with me! Stay tuned for more fun creations in the kitchen!
The fun part of making homemade tortillas is the mixing with the dough your hands. When I have the opportunity to really create and mold food with my hands it is makes me feel like an accomplished cook. When I envision great cooks I think more of heritage and ethnicity in its purest form rather than a culinary school artist chef. So taking the time to really create delicious foods like homemade tortillas really speaks to me and makes me grateful for all of the women in Mexico who have continuously kept tradition and passed the art down. I would recommend to everyone to try a truly from scratch approach to a meal at least once in your life. You will not regret it!
Also, along with my homemade tortillas I made homemade refried beans. I soaked my pinto and black bean mixture (the hard beans in a bag) for around 8 hours, then boiled them for 40 minutes and fried them in butter, onions, cheese, garlic salt, cayenne, and cumin. They were amazing, and a wonderful compliment to the tortilla!
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| They look like any other tortilla, but taste so much better! |
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| The recipe makes a lot of tortillas! |
This was Andie's Kitchen: Flour Tortillas. I hope you enjoyed cooking with me! Stay tuned for more fun creations in the kitchen!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Fall 2013: Losing My Marbles
These past few days have been some of my most off moments in life possibly ever.
It all started a few days ago when I made pancake batter that I added TABLESPOONS of baking powder to instead of TEASPOONS. Fortunately for myself I was able to adjust the batter to make it taste delicious despite my large mistake.
Today though was the worst. First I locked myself, a dog, and a puppy out of the house I was at - locking my phone, keys, their house key, bathing suit (because I could have at least swam while I waited), and purse inside. I desperately searched for another way in, thankful to find a door that was unlocked!
A few hours later I was in the car with Lydia explaining how I like to always check when I get to the car to make sure I have my phone on me because I sometimes forget it in the condo... right after I finished that story (10 minutes away from the condo) I realized that I forgot my phone.
I decided to make chocolate cream puffs for my dad to say thank you for fixing the dishwasher (I think he has a magical electrical touch), and mixed the ingredients in the wrong order causing flat yet still tasty cream puffs. (I have made cream puff dough probably at least 30 times in my life, this was the first time I've messed it up)
Then we went to the store to buy milk and eggs to make the cream... well I forgot my purse and had to go back for it - thankfully I only made it to my condo gates. I followed the recipe this time exactly and decided that the cream was not very sweet, but it's too late to add sugar now :( I guess I'll throw some powdered sugar on top and hope for the best.
But, I must confess that I don't enjoy being a bad baker (I've made real food and it taste great still, so glad). I saw in a movie once a girl who baked all the time burned a souffle, which she never does because the situation was off. I have been off, and it's because I have been having an extremely hard time sleeping. My bed feels so uncomfortable all of the sudden and my dreams are so vivid they feel like I'm really somewhere else. My muscles are sore and I have a blister on my face (possibly a spider bite). I guess you can say I'm falling apart. My solution is scheduled to arrive by Monday, September 9. I ordered a 4 inch memory foam bed topper - let's just hope I can survive another week!
Pray for me and my sanity :) I'll let you know how it goes!
This was Fall 2013: Losing my marbles. Stay tuned for more of my crazy life stories!
It all started a few days ago when I made pancake batter that I added TABLESPOONS of baking powder to instead of TEASPOONS. Fortunately for myself I was able to adjust the batter to make it taste delicious despite my large mistake.
Today though was the worst. First I locked myself, a dog, and a puppy out of the house I was at - locking my phone, keys, their house key, bathing suit (because I could have at least swam while I waited), and purse inside. I desperately searched for another way in, thankful to find a door that was unlocked!
A few hours later I was in the car with Lydia explaining how I like to always check when I get to the car to make sure I have my phone on me because I sometimes forget it in the condo... right after I finished that story (10 minutes away from the condo) I realized that I forgot my phone.
I decided to make chocolate cream puffs for my dad to say thank you for fixing the dishwasher (I think he has a magical electrical touch), and mixed the ingredients in the wrong order causing flat yet still tasty cream puffs. (I have made cream puff dough probably at least 30 times in my life, this was the first time I've messed it up)
Then we went to the store to buy milk and eggs to make the cream... well I forgot my purse and had to go back for it - thankfully I only made it to my condo gates. I followed the recipe this time exactly and decided that the cream was not very sweet, but it's too late to add sugar now :( I guess I'll throw some powdered sugar on top and hope for the best.
But, I must confess that I don't enjoy being a bad baker (I've made real food and it taste great still, so glad). I saw in a movie once a girl who baked all the time burned a souffle, which she never does because the situation was off. I have been off, and it's because I have been having an extremely hard time sleeping. My bed feels so uncomfortable all of the sudden and my dreams are so vivid they feel like I'm really somewhere else. My muscles are sore and I have a blister on my face (possibly a spider bite). I guess you can say I'm falling apart. My solution is scheduled to arrive by Monday, September 9. I ordered a 4 inch memory foam bed topper - let's just hope I can survive another week!
Pray for me and my sanity :) I'll let you know how it goes!
This was Fall 2013: Losing my marbles. Stay tuned for more of my crazy life stories!
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