Greeks The Word!

When I got home from work I had been thinking about Greece and the fact that its on my Bucket List to one day visit the Acropolis in Athens. So I decided why not start practicing how to cook Greek food now to get in the Greek spirit! 

 

 

 

 

Another reason I decided to make Greek for dinner is because my husband and I really love to eat kabob from this little restaurant our home and I really wanted to learn how to make it so we didn’t always have to order out.

So with Coco in tow, we headed to the kitchen to get the stove all warmed up. I’m not going to actually post the recipe (yet) but will just post the photos along with my collection of cookbooks and of course my cutie Coco.











And my assistant chef: Coco

Trend Alert! Ladylike Jackets:

Latest trend to return this season:
Ladylike Jackets. Anyone who knows me will testify that I love a cute and sophisticated looking jacket and have a closet full of them but yet am always in search of more!
So when I heard that this season was offering up a huge helping of designer jackets I knew I had to share the news! Though this is not the first time this style has hit the fashion spotlight, (Mrs. Coco designed her first signature cardigan jacket in the 1920’s) it’s certainly great news that they are back and apparently with a new and fresh look! 

Christian Dior once said, “Zest is the secret of all beauty. There is no beauty that is attractive without zest.”

To me, the ladylike jacket equates to the "zest" in any outfit and brings it from otherwise being  dubbed as humdrum or bland. 


Check out these cute new looks! (is it just me or do all the jackets seem to make the outfits that much better looking?)  

The School of Life...

Life has a way of teaching us things that organized educational systems (A.K.A. school) just doesn’t fully prepare us for and in my opinion; The School of Life tends to be a bit more successful. Though I personally have nothing against organized educational systems and in fact love to learn, I do remember thinking many, many times as a sat in class after class “When am I ever going to use this in the real world”? To date I have never had to recall much of what I learned in history class, nor had to conduct science experiments using beakers and Petri dishes and with spell-check and calculators what good were all those math and spelling tests I had to take in elementary school, man what a waste of time!
As is painfully apparent, I am a fan and life-time student of The School of Life mainly because it has actually prepared me for the difficult things that I have encountered in my life and the things I have learned to love and cherish so much.
                                       
In organized educational systems I was always told that I should try to find a job that would bring in the most money but never really given the idea that I should do something that I loved. Remember those test we took in high school that were suppose to help determine what professional field we should go into such as business, medicine or teaching, the thing is I don’t remember any of my friends cheerfully running down the hall with the good news that their test suggested they become an artist, why because our world doesn’t really see being as artist as an actual career but more as a past time.  

 When I was in high school and even in the first few years of college, I had no idea of what I wanted to do but I did know I wanted to do something that allowed me to express my creativity but I couldn’t seem to figure out just how to tie them all up into one profession so instead I studied various subjects such as Art, Photography, Journalism, Teaching, then finally and really now that I think about it, I’m not sure why but I ended up settling on Criminal Justice… This, as you can see is so far off the Richter scale from the areas I studied in my early educational yeas.  I have always been an artist (studied art in high school, was in the art club, wrote for my school and college newspaper…) but in the organized educational system or what many life to call school, people told me that getting an Art degree would get me nowhere in life and I was pushed to do something more “substantial” with myself even if I had no passion for what I was “gently nudged” to do. But now I know where my passions lie and with this knowledge I was able to understand that my previous search for something creative would come out in the form of writing and of course I still paint in my free time but a lot of my visual creativity now goes into what I cook. So folks there you have it, what I have learned from The School of Life is that I am a writer who loves to cook! And what have I learned from the organized educational system (A.K.A. school), is that you can spend a lot of money and time to get a piece of paper and never really use it.

New Years Resolutions

I have been meaning to write this blog all week and with it getting closer to the end of the first week of the New Year, I felt I’d better get it done sooner than later!  A couple of days ago I posted my Bucket List under the Writers Block section and I was planning to leave it at that until I found myself chatting with Alaina, a friend of mine from work when she randomly asked me about my New Year’s resolutions and before I knew it I had come up with a few that I thought would go along well with my Bucket List. Turns out this year I plan to:
·        Attempt to do something new at least once amonth
·        Read more, watch less T.V.
 So by chance this past Monday I came across a few art projects from Art House and decided to sign up for one or two not really thinking they would fall into any my first resolutions but just because it looked really cool and interesting!
I decided to register for The Sketch Book Project which is described as similar to a concert tour but with sketch books! So far 28,835 artists from 94 different countries have registered (including me)!   What will happen is that we will send in our sketch books and they will go on exhibit in many different galleries and museums across the county. The cost to enter was only $25.00 and when the tour comes here (The Transformer Gallery in DC, April 11-30) I plan to go see my work on display and then I will truly feel like an artist!  By the way you have to choose a theme for your sketch book and I decided to go with Below the Surface.
The second project I have decided to register for is call A Million Little Photographs which is described as a way that viewers can experience the myriad ways that a single story can be captured in an image. You also have to pick a theme (mine is The Great Adventures Of…). It will also go on cross-country exhibit starting in September 2011 and a book will be made into print in December 2011 which I plan to purchase as proof that I am a publish artist! ;)
So I think I am thus far off to a good start on my New Year’sresolution! Check out our Links section to see the story that CNN did and to view the Art House Website, also  see our Video section and watch the "I joined The Project" video for more info as well!

Keep Reading,
CG Chronicles Editor in Chief
Faith M. Steward

City Girl Chronicles - Details - Delightful Blogs Directory :: Cutting through the Blog Smog. Discover Stylish Blogs

City Girl Chronicles - Details - Delightful Blogs Directory :: Cutting through the Blog Smog. Discover Stylish Blogs

Bucket List

Last year I was having one of my regular over the phone chats with my older sister Ava when she casually mentioned to me that her son Christian had created a “bucket list”. Unbeknownst to me, she had planted the very beginnings of a seed that was about to blossom into a giant flower! If my 13 year old nephew had already created goals for his life, why hadn’t I? it wasn’t like I didn’t have things that I wanted to do, it was just that I hadn’t organized them into an actual cross-off list nor had I set out to actually take the steps to achieve them, instead as I did something in my life I would say or think “wow, I’ve always wanted to do that” and that was basically it, no crossing off, no celebration, or journaling about it. Then as New Year’s approached a few days ago I did my traditional reflecting over the past year and planning of my New Year’s resolutions (which as we all know rarely last longer than a few months) and as I was thinking of what I would add to my resolution list this year I decided to make a few changes and instead create a bucket list of things that I can achieve over a lifetime, why limit myself to only a year? Some of the things on my list I have already accomplished, others will come with time and will give me something to do with my free time or something to look forward to as I get older so drum roll please…

Faith’s Bucket List:
1.)     Visit Europe (Done)
2.)     Write a book
3.)     Have one of my articles featured in a magazine/website 
4.)     Work for myself one day
5.)     Visit the Acropolis in Greece
6.)     Visit Stonehenge
7.)     Stand under The Eiffel Tower (Done)
8.)     Appreciate the simple things in life
9.)     Finish the Bible cover to cover(work in progress)
10.)    Take life one day at a time
11.)    Create my own Happiness Project (will start this soon)
12.)    Help others
13.)    Create a website and keep it going!(work in progress)

So this is my current list but it will not end here, as my life changes each day so will the things that I want to do and I’m sure that I have left off a few things anyways. I read somewhere today that you should attempt to do something everyday instead of every other day or just a few days a week because the more you do it the easier they will becomes and the more it becomes a part of your daily. 
“So if there’s something that you wish you did more regularly, try doing it every day; if you do something every day, revel in it”.
First things first, update m y website every day with new content also start on some other daily tasks like reading the Bible cover to cover if only a page at time, start taking life one day at a time and begin creating my own happiness project.

Winter Time Warm-Up!

During the weekends my dog Coco and I enjoy going for long walks not only to get some exercise but also because it allows me time to clear my mind and often come up with some great ideas for my site. Last week we were out for our normal walk, I was all bundled up while Coco refused to wear her raincoat, I think she feels constricted and can’t roam as freely as she would like. Anyway as we progressed on our walk I started to realized what a cold and rainy day it had turned out to be and decided we should head back so I could climb under the covers and read a good book. On the walk back I was remained of my childhood days when my Granny would make chicken and dumplings with cornbread on cold, rainy days like that day. I loved my Granny’s chicken and dumplings but she passed away long before I was able to realize my passion for cooking so I never did get a chance to learn her secret recipe. When I got back home I decided to see if we had anything to warm me up and as I sat in the kitchen wishing I knew how to make chicken and dumplings I vowed then and there to learn how and though it may not be as good as my Granny’s, it’d still be good!
A few days later the thought had completely slipped my mind, I was online surfing through some on my favorite sites when ta-da… a wonder recipe for chicken and dumplings had been posted by none other than Larissa! If you don’t remember I used her Chicken Wings recipe in my iReports section, (New Blog On The Block) a few months back and both my husband and I loved the taste so I trust pretty much any recipe she posts and gladly recommend them to others.
 
                  So without further ado, check out this great recipe she has posted on her site! I plan to make it sometime this week since I’ve checked the weather channel and it’s going to be cold and dreary all week! Doesn’t the photo alone make you wish you could climb into the screen and lick the bowl!!If you're looking for something to keep you warm during this winter season or just for some good home-style cooking, I highly recommend that you check out her site and try some on her delicious recipes!    http://onebigmixblog.com/