Hi friends! Thanks for sharing your blogging stories with me yesterday :)
I'm super sad this morning over the news of Steve Jobs passing last night. He was a revolutionary, a visionary, and who knows what else he might have changed in our world in the future. I shout the praises of my Macbook non-stop (especially to Shaun, who's a PC), use my iPod every single day, and am currently coveting an iPhone (rather than my horrible Blackberry) and an iPad. What a horrible day for the world :(
Ok now I'm crying. I do that a lot.
It's strange that his death falls yesterday and my plans for today were to tell you all about The Little Things Challenge, a small way to appreciate all the tiny bits happiness in life - something that I fear many of us do not do enough. Julie @ Savvy Eats started this challenge last November. She encouraged her readers to keep a tally of a Little Thing each day in November (until Thanksgiving) that made you smile. This year, she's upping The Little Things Challenge to 50 days, ending on Thanksgiving. That means that the challenge starts today!
Thanksgiving, 2009. The dress I'm wearing from Anthropologie makes me happy!
Last year, I kept a list of little things in my notebook. I filled it with everything from being excited about a new nail polish color or enjoying a pumpkin spice latte to Shaun packing my lunch for me or my building concierge holding the shuttle bus for me one morning. You can see my entire list of Little Things here. It was so fun to look back on these on Thanksgiving morning and to share them on the blog.
It's amazing what a mood changer this was for me. Simply picking out something that made me smile, even on a morning when I was unhappy over work, the weather, an argument, etc...searching for one bit of happiness was a total 180 degree turn for my mood. It makes me wonder why I wouldn't just do this every day? Maybe I will.
So I'm super excited to join in this challenge, and I hope you will too! I plan to make a Little Things jar this year to collect my pieces of happiness over the next 50 days (and beyond?). Since I dropped the ball and didn't get it set up yet, I'll start today in my notebook and make my jar this weekend. I can't wait to share it with all of you. Make sure to head over to Savvy Eats to see Julie's full write up about the challenge. I hope you'll join! Maybe we could link up and share them each week or something. What do you think?
I can't wait to tell you about what's making me happy this week. I made a new dip for the last 2 football Sundays that is seriously so easy and sooooo tasty. It was Shaun's idea to make a pimento dip. I honestly didn't know what pimentos were (it turns out that they are cured roasted peppers!), but I was willing to give it a go. I adapted a recipe from a very old issue of Food Network Magazine and it's quickly become a staple in my appetizer recipe arsenal.
Pepper Jack & Pimento Dip
1 C pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ C reduced fat mayonnaise
¼ C reduced fat sour cream
3 Tbsp diced pimentos
1 Tbsp Worceshire sauce
kosher salt, for seasoning
black pepper, for seasoning.
cooking spray
tortilla chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together. Spray a small baking dish or ramekin with cooking spray. Pour mixture into dish and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the dip is melty and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.
Could that be easier? Cheesy, slightly tangy and a little kick from the pepper jack cheese. Yum!
So that's what's going on with me today!
Questions of the Day:
Will you participate in 50 Days of The Little Things? You know I am!
Are you a crier? I am a born & bred crier!