New year's eve is a time for Chinese food and creepy smiles.

I’m not good at keeping promises to myself. Last year, my new year’s resolution was to work out every other day. That might’ve lasted for a week, and by the end of it my idea of working out was wearing ankle weights to check the mailbox. This year’s resolutions are a little less rigid; I’m taking it easy since this’ll be my last year on earth (jokes).

Five goals for 2012:

• Drink more tea (herbal, green, white, black…you name it!)
• Eliminate beef and pork from my diet completely. I already eat them very infrequently, so this should be easy peasy.
• Read at least one book per month of my choosing. Even with school and a job, that should be attainable. Flavorpill’s list seems like a great place to start.
• Go to the gym for an hour at least twice a week. It’s free since I’m a student, so why in the world wouldn’t I?
• Bake, bake, bake!

How about you? Are you making changes or are you against that sort of thing?

Kirby has been working diligently on a chunk of land in our back/side yard that will soon become our fruit and vegetable garden. I CANNOT WAIT.

He also recently rescued the tiny fallen baby bird pictured above. I was reminded of why I date him.

p.s. If you haven’t entered my giveaway yet, there’s still time! Remember: each entry requires a separate comment.

p.p.s. Speaking of giveaways, this Strawesome (Glass  Straw) Giveaway is pretty great. If you ask me, the only thing better than a big straw is a big straw that’s BPA free!

In light of my heightened awareness of my dangerous eating habits, I woke up reasonably early yesterday (which is 10:30 for me) and cooked a big, nutritious breakfast for myself.

It consisted of:

1. One piece of Nature’s Own 100% Whole Grain Toast topped with some tasty Basil Jelly that I picked up at the Farmers’ Market- Nature’s Own Whole Grain Bread has both Fiber and Protein. Also, whole grain foods may lower your risk for heart disease and even certain cancers…or so the breadbag tells me.

2. A Delicious, Homemade, Fruity Muffin Courtesy of Danielle- To be honest, I have no idea what went into these muffins, but I did taste some apple. That’s gotta be healthy, right?!

3. A Fried Egg (Ok, obviously frying eggs isn’t my strong point. It still tasted good.)- Protein and all 9 Essential Amino Acids: heck yeah!

4. Sauteed Baby Bella Mushrooms and Mesclun Greens, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper- Mushrooms are an excellent source of Potassium, Vitamin B2, B3, and Selenium. Mesclun Greens contain Vitamins A & C.

5. A Handful of Almonds and Cashews- Almonds are rich in Protein, Fiber, Vitamin E, and Magnesium. Cashews are packed with all sorts of minerals.

6. A cup of Bolthouse Farms Blue Goodness Fruit Smoothie- Full of awesome stuff like Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B2,B3, B5, B6, B7,B9, and B12.  Plus, no added sugar, preservatives, or GMOs. I’m in love.

Guys, this breakfast really did start my day off right. I won’t lie, though; I couldn’t finish the nuts so I set them aside for a midday snack.

I sent Kirby links to several different sets, but these were one of my favorites.

I frequently give myself lifestyle improvement goals and never meet them.  It’s something that I’m not proud of, but it has become a fact of my life. I’m putting my foot down this year, and I’m making a new year’s resolution to exercise at least every other day and stick to it. I asked Kirby for Asics for Christmas because, well, I think that running and riding my bike might seem more appealing if I have some cool shoes to do it in. Also, the pair of Walmart sneakers that I’ve had since high school are a sad sight to behold. Other healthy goals include eating more dark green vegetables and less chips.

What’s your new year’s resolution?

Supportive Boyfriends

2.

Beautiful Sisters: Part 1

Beautiful Sisters: Part 2

Beautiful Sisters: Part 3

Beautiful Sisters: Part 4

3.

Handsome Brothers

4.

Loving Parents

5.

Sweet Dogs: Part 1

Sweet Dogs: Part 2

6.

Fat Cats

7. Married to the sea, because it cracks me the hell up.

8. Informative books like Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry (which is totally on my Christmas list, BTW.)

9. Mexican Coke- It may not be healthy, but it’s High Fructose Corn Syrup-free!

10. Ridiculous dessert recipes like this one for Praline Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake.

Happy Thanksgiving, guys!

As if I didn’t have enough fall business to be excited about already, I just finished reading a fantastic article on Care2 that walks the reader through 11 ways to use a pumpkin!

I can’t wait to try making the Honey Pumpkin Exfoliating Mask, the Luscious Pumpkin Body Butter, and the Vegan Pumpkin Pecan Pie. The Harvest Pumpkin soup looks like it also may have the potential to rock my world.

I won’t lie; I also kind of need this Pumpkin Butter-Scented Woodwick Candle.

How about you guys? Do you have any exciting fall plans/crafts/recipes?

2) Traditional Medicinals Gypsy Cold Care Tea- I’ve had a wicked cold for the past few days, and this tea has been making me hate life a little less. It’s tasty with or without honey.

3) Danielle’s Apple Cider Vinegar and Green Tea Toner-  I may have a cold, but my skin has truly never looked healthier.

4) Crystal Light Pure Fitness: Grape-Flavored- I’m usually pretty okay with water, but this stuff is a nice change every once in a while. It tastes like blue jello!

5) Clementine and Winston

They're not usually allowed on the furniture.

I’ve recently started carrying a travel-size bottle filled with Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap in my purse. I am no longer faced with either having to wash my hands with anti-bacterial sludge (that contains any number of questionable ingredients) or not washing my hands at all. I should’ve done this months ago; I feel good about life.

Annnnd:

After I find a job and am making money down here in Lake Charles, I’m going to buy all of the containers and necessary ingredients to create and sell my own line of health and beauty products online. I’m keeping a lot of the details under wraps for now, until I get some money and a lot of the kinks worked out. I have a few ideas for appropriate names for the line, but I’d really like your input. Any fun ideas?

I was eying some flowers similar to these in a store a few days before my birthday. They were waiting for me in the kitchen with my birthday donuts when I woke up.

This Kiss My Face Sample Pack, also a gift from Kirby, is full of gems. I was pleasantly surprised.

Another present from Kirby was a straightener exactly like the one pictured above. It's a Solia Tourmaline Ceramic Ion Flat Iron.

Damaging my hair never felt so classy. Honestly, this straightener has been kinder to my hair than any other styling tool I’ve owned. I once had a straightener that fried my hair so much that it actually smelled burnt when I was finished. I wish that I were joking.

Here's proof that my straightener works and I'm not pulling your leg.

He might be incapable of smiling on command. My birthday dress reminded me a little too much of an optical illusion.

Oh, did I mention that he also bought me the computer from which I’m posting? It feels so good to have a computer of my own again. Excuse me while I waste my life away with Google Reader.

Danielle suggested hanging them in the living room beside my painting of Clementine and Winston, and I was all for it.

Next in line are my friends Taylor (who has an adorable dog named Nellie) and Katie (who owns two beautiful dogs named Sam and Mia). I’m pretty excited; dogs are my favorite.

Several health and beauty related posts are on the way, I promise. Between looking for jobs and the frequent trips to target/marshalls/kroger/walmart, I haven’t had much spare time for posting anything more substantial than a picture with a few words. Things will settle down soon.