I taught yoga this morning, took from my favorite teacher this afternoon, baked gingerbread, bought holiday candles, had brunch with friends and am now curled up on the couch under a blanket with wine and How The Grinch Stole Christmas on TV. I think that classifies as a good day?
Breakfast before teaching yoga this morning was coffee and banana eggnog oatmeal. Today in class I talked about this Danielle Laporte article I read last week about the trap of feeling guilty for your dreams. The highlight being…
You are capable of holding two states of consciousness at once: presence and longing, gratitude and desire, contentment and hunger. This is what it means to become whole.
Recognizing your preferences and emerging wishes, without laying a guilt trip on yourself.
Judged desires will make your potentiality very, very cautious.
Acknowledged desires whisper to your potential, “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
How often do you settle and not go after what you want because of guilt that you don’t deserve it, you’ll seem selfish, there’s too much other stuff going on, blah, blah, blah. You have to learn how to let that go and believe in yourself and what you are worthy of achieving. It’s that whole thought that I mentioned the other day about being your own biggest supporter.
Then I went to brunch with my best yoga girlfriends at Rooster’s where I kicked off my meal with a virgin mary. I love bloody marys but I loathe drinking vodka in the middle of the day when I have ambitions of a productive afternoon. I love the taste of homemade bloody marys and that they pack such a nutritional punch. You’re basically drinking a serving of veggies that tastes awesome.
We had a tough time narrowing down our orders because there were so many amazing and different choices on the menu. I ended up going with the eggs benedict because it’s been forever since I’ve had it and I loved their description of the benedict of the day…grilled ciabatta with spinach, pancetta and poached eggs with hollandaise.
And because I have the most amazing friends ever, we ordered a side of macaroni and cheese to share.
After brunch I went to Home Goods to look for stuff for the house. I ened up just buying holiday candles and a new toy for Sullie. I am fairly certain that I get more enjoyment than she does from giving her new toys. $4.99 well spent.
Holiday candles feel so festive! I lit my gingerbread candle and got to work baking gingerbread.
I have been wanting to bake Joy the Baker’s Orange Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting since she posted the recipe last week. Two things happened to hinder the success of my gingerbread…1) I thought that I had an orange in the fridge but I didn’t so I couldn’t add orange zest to the gingerbread batter. Instead I added it to the frosting after I picked up and orange from the grocery which was also delicious but it would have been great in the actual bread. 2) It was 70 degrees here and I really wanted to get a short run in before yoga and time was running out. I had to leave the half-cooked gingerbread in the oven while I ran and it ended up slightly over baked but still very tasty. My fault completely!
I decided that I didn’t get enough cranberry sauce in at Thanksgiving so I whipped up a batch while I was cooking dinner. I love using it for so many things…a sandwich spread, on oatmeal and yogurt, with cheese, etc. I’m excited to have this on hand.
Dinner was roasted sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts and salmon.
Hope everyone had a great Sunday! Did you do anything festive?
I’m with you- I love Bloody Marys! I’ve found that Bad Daddy’s actually has really good ones, though I tend to keep the vodka in mine. #lush 😉
We had a very festive weekend! After the close game on Saturday (SO close to National Championship), we got a Christmas tree. I’ll be smiling from now until Jan 1! Love Christmas trees.
oh, i’ll keep note of the bad daddy’s bloody mary recommendation. i love them with vodka on game days! 🙂
Yoga, candles, hollandaise, and gingerbread 🙂 You’re a woman after my own heart!
I organized a soup kitchen volunteer activity Saturday with my yoga group. Such a perfect, rewarding way to start off the weekend. I did lots of yoga. And also threw a cookie decorating/spiked egg nog party witih friends. Good weekend
grace – that is so nice that you did that with your yoga group. i love that idea. and i would have loved to attend the egg nog and cookie party!
That variation on eggs benedict looks amazing!!
Thank you for that excerpt from Danielle LaPorte. I just got on her website and can’t wait to read more! As always your food looks delicious!!! May have to check out brunch at Roosters.
she is amazing! check out her firestarter sessions. roosters is highly recommended!
Love your golden! She’s so adorable and her feathers are darling. I finally put up some Christmas decorations, garland, and lights on my porch. I’m going to buy my tree next weekend. Wish you lived closer, so we could do yoga and enjoy a delicious brunch like that. Looks fabulous!
i would love that too! would be so fun! 🙂
As usual, the food looks AMAZING. *Sigh*. What I really want for Christmas is a personal chef to follow me around and make me delicious food all the time 🙂
Love what you highlighted from the article. I feel like I know a few people who do this. While there is a healthy balance of prioritizing what needs to happen and when, I think there is that part of you that has to say “I’m going to do this” and makes it work. I also wonder if we use the excuse of guilt as a cover for deeper fears – what if I can’t? what if I fail? what will people think of me? I think its just as important to call yourself on those things and deal with the real issue!
haha, how nice would that be! and i totally agree with you on the guilt/fear line of thinking!
All of your eats look delicious! I always try to like Bloody Marys but I just don’t – I wish I did because they’re such a fun drink.
how did you make your salmon? it looks delicious!
hi lisa! i rubbed it with olive oil and then seasoned it with kosher salt and Trader Joe’s lemon pepper grinder. baked at 400 for about 12 minutes.
I think that sounds like a pretty great day. Elf if pretty much the best movie ever. Oh yum, that gingerbread sounds amazing! I definitely got into the festivities this weekend, how can you not when it’s finally December?!
I’ve been watching Elf and How the Grinch Store Christmas nonstop. Hey, it’s not my fault ABC Family airs them all the time. 😉
Holiday candles are the best! I also am going to have to check out brunch at Roosters – I have been there for lunch and dinner, but those pics look amazing! I am sure I can sweet talk my brunch girls into splitting some mac and cheese with me too – that is what friends are for. Glad you had such a good weekend – you needed it. 🙂
Emma destroys those $4.99 TJMaxx toys like they are paper napkins… needless to say I decided to spend my money on rawhides instead 🙂 Gingerbread …. yum. I need to bake it instead of constantly picking up the pepperidge farm bag! Looks awesome.
That mac and cheese looks delicious!
Holiday candles really set the mood! Right now I’m loving the Winter Frost scent from Woodwick. The crackle of the burning wood wick is an added bonus.