At the beginning of every new year, I like to reflect back on last year’s resolutions and see how successful I was at meeting my goals…

2011 Resolutions

1. Take a Photography Class. Met!… In 2011 I took three photography classes and then started a photography business with my sister Kiley that continues to grow! It was definitely one of the highlights of 2011 for me.

2. Waste less food. Met!… Meal planning and getting creative with leftovers definitely helped us to waste less food and save money on food costs.

3. Continue to save. Met!… Cory and I exceeded our savings goal and was able to purchase our new house!!! Perhaps the biggest highlight of 2011?!

4. Stay active with variable/fun exercise at least 3 times a week. Kinda met… I had good weeks and I had bad weeks in regards to my commitment to exercising. Working full-time at the hospital and starting a new business left me with little free time… and quality time with the husband or dinner with friends a lot of times won over yoga class.

5. Savor each moment- Umm… always a work in progress! Balancing everything in 2011 was a constant struggle for me. Sometimes the perfectionist side of me causes more harm than good and I end up stressing about things that are beyond my control. Cory can probably write a book about “How to Calm Down Your Stressed Out Wife!”

As for 2012…

2012 Resolutions

1. Finish decorating the house… The selection of décor in our house has been a slow and very thoughtful process. I want to LOVE everything in our house. Every rug, piece of furniture, vase, etc was selected after discussion and careful consideration (and some inspiration from Pinterest). Why spend money on things you don’t love?! Luckily, Cory enjoys helping me choose things for the house and we have similar taste in style so that helps! My goal is to finish decorating the interior of the house by the end of this year. We have big plans for the backyard space (think outdoor entertaining area, herb/veggie garden!) but that may take a couple years…

2. Exercise at least 3 times per week and stay physically active during the day. Although exercise may not be my number one priority (family and work usually comes first), it is still a really important tool to help me manage stress and stay healthy! I hope to consistently (on more weeks than not) exercise at least 30 minutes 3 times per week. Additionally, I plan to stay active during the day by taking the stairs at work, walking down to a coworker’s office to tell them something in person rather than emailing or calling them (when time permits!), etc.

3. Savor each moment (again!)… I’m a busy person because I pursue many interests and am very fortunate to live a very fulfilling life. The double-edged sword is when I try to do to fit in 35 hours of activity in a 24 hour day. This year I hope to recognize my limits and for goodness sake stop getting so stressed out! Daily reminders of how thankful I am for everyone and everything in my life may help. A trip to the Caribbean would also help!

Anyone have any advice or ideas on how to minimize unnecessary stress and truly appreciate the little (and big) things in life?

What are some of your new year resolutions? How are things going so far?

Thanks for stopping by! Till next time…

Kasey

It was a lot of work but so much fun having family and friends over to celebrate the holiday. I knew it was a great party when half way through the night Cory came over to give me a hug and kiss and said “Looks like our first party was a success”

There was an abundance of family, presents, Christmas cheer and FOOD! Our family totally helped out with our Christmas Dinner Buffet by bringing dishes to the party. Cory and I contributed the baked ham, roasted asparagus, cheese platters, fruit tray, desserts, and wine (of course).

Here are a couple photos I took before the party started…

Christmas cards displayed over our fire place!

Our buffet served wine & cheese platters!

I made a few Holly arrangements from my coworker’s Holly Tree!

 Fruit Tray, Another Cheese Platter (we like cheese!), & Festive Chips with Salsa

More holiday décor all through the house!

Honey Baked Ham

Tiers and tiers of desserts!

 Christmas Funfetti Cake (Cory’s Favorite!!!)

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday filled with family and friends!

xoxo,

Kasey

Over the last month, Cory and I have been getting settled into our brand new house!!! It feels like a mansion compared to our tiny one bedroom condo we lived in for 4 years. We are still waiting on some new furniture deliveries (specifically, a new sofa that has been on back order since October, errh). Also, I still have a ton of interior decorating to do (hanging pics and artwork on the walls, etc). We are planning to have Christmas Eve at our house so I got lots to do to get the house ready before then!

Our new house…

My absolute favorite room in the house is my dream kitchen! I have always wanted a kitchen with a island, plenty of counter space, and lots of cabinet storage. The main living room and kitchen is one big open space which is awesome because I can watch TV while washing dishes

The kitchen also includes a walk in pantry with lots of shelf space. This is my first time having a gas burning stove so I’ve been getting used to cooking with an open flame.

What’s your favorite feature in a kitchen?

Speaking of the kitchen, I better get back in there and finish my Thanksgiving Day baking!!! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled with great food, family, and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Kasey

I met about half of my goals for 2010…

1.  Practice yoga at least 3 times a week-  Kinda met… Some weeks I achieved my goal with yoga, other weeks I exercised at least 3 times a week just not exclusively with yoga.

2. Learn Spanish-  Fail!  Looking back, this goal was a bit ambitious considering half the year all my free time was devoted to wedding planning.  

3. Increase savings by 25%.  Definitely Met!!!  We have paid off all our wedding and honeymoon expenses and are well on our way to saving for a new house down-payment.

As far the new year’s resolutions, I plan to…

1.  Take a Photography Class.  I plan on registering next week for a photography class that begins this month!  I always had an interest in photography.  Growing up, one entire wall of my bedroom (floor to ceiling) was filled with pictures.  Thanks to blogging, my interest in photography keeps growing!

2.  Waste less food.  Nothing irritates me more than throwing out spoiled food/produce.  Over the last couple of months, I’ve been really good about planning out our meals for the week and sticking to a grocery list.  I plan on continuing to plan out meals and following a grocery list to waste less food and save more money!

3.  Continue to save.   Cory and I have created a budget for 2011 with the goal of saving over 18% of our income each month.  Hopefully, we will be able to buy  new house this year!

4.  Stay active with variable/fun exercise at least 3 times a week.  I’m the kind of person that wants to enjoy exercise.   Sometimes, I’m in the mood for yoga ad other times I want to dance!  My goal is to be active at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes with any form of exercise- walking, hiking, swimming, dancing, yoga, biking, etc.

5.  Savor each moment-  This year, I hope to live life to the fullest everyday.  Sometimes, I get so consumed by crossing things off my “To Do List” that I forget to enjoy the true pleasures in life such as savoring a cup of tea or spending uninterrupted, quality time with my husband, family, and friends.  Balance is the key! 

What are your goals/resolutions for 2011?

Happy New Years and thanks for reading!!!

Kasey

With 2011 just hours away, I’m looking forward to what the new year has in store for us (hopefully a new house!).  Tonight, Cory and I along with some friends will ring in the new year drinking some bubbly and watching fireworks at Pat O’s on the River! 

I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year!

Stay tuned for 2011 New Years Resolutions

Kasey

As many of you may know, I’m a huge tea lover.  I drink a cup (or two) of green tea every morning and have been longing for a teakettle for months.

Cory takes gift giving pretty seriously with an ultimate goal of completely surprising me.  He succeeded on Christmas morning when I opened my Zen-themed presents!  First present was a yellow teakettle to match our kitchen-

This adorable kettle is a LIVESTRONG by Chantal teakettle which donates a portion of sales to the Lance Armstrong Foundation to aid people battling cancer.

Next present was this charming Cast Iron Tea Pot with matching tea cups and leaf shaped coasters-

Cory choose the Koi Fish Tea Pot which symbolizes wealth, fidelity, and prosperity.  Plus, it’s my favorite color- blue!  A strainer fits inside the pot to prepare loose tea.

My final gift was a Japan Green Tea Collection from Teavana  (aka: A Heaven of Tea)-

Each variety of tea is contained in an airtight tin designed to keep the loose tea fresh for up to a year.  I’ve always heard that loose teas are much higher quality than normal tea bags. After trying two out of the four flavors, I agree!  The quality, freshness, and flavor are outstanding. 

Not only do I love the taste of green tea but I also love the health benefits.  Green tea is rich in antioxidants which may prevent forms of cancer by helping boost the immune system.  Additionally, green tea has been shown to aid in blood sugar regulation and aid in digestion.

Are you a tea drinker?  Have you ever tried loose tea?

Were you surprised with any Christmas presents this year?

Kasey

Some things that I’m thankful for everyday…

My amazing husband (and best friend)-

My wonderful family and friends (many who traveled all the way to St. Lucia for our wedding!)-

My health (which allows me to participate in many exciting and adventurous activities)-

The simple pleasures of life- a gorgeous view, a warm cup of tea, a beautiful flower, etc…

What are you thankful for?

Are you looking for an easy semi-homemade, healthy pumpkin pie recipe for Turkey Day?  Look no further!  I have the perfect recipe for you.

Easy Pumpkin Pie

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
• 1 can (12 ounces) fat free evaporated milk
• 1 graham cracker pie crust

Directions

Mix sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, egg whites, and pumpkin.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie crust.

Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  Decrease temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40-50 minutes.  Cool before serving.

Are you cooking anything for Thanksgiving?  I have a couple desserts planned including pumpkin pie!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Kasey

Over the last year, I’ve made many new friends, been inspired to cook creative, healthy meals, and further developed my interest of photography thanks to the blog!  I’ve also come to really enjoy and appreciate the whole process of cooking including the meal planning, grocery shopping, and of course the meal preparation enjoyed with a great glass of wine.  Cheers to a great year!

Today, I headed to Audubon Park in efforts to practice what I have learned from the photography book I checked out from the library.  Also, I wanted to get in some fun exercise by walking around and enjoying the beautiful scenery!  So with my gym clothes and tennis shoes on, I packed up my camera bag and headed to the park.

I found many opportunities to practice manually adjusting my camera’s aperture, focus, and shutter speed.  For example, the following pictures are taken at the same location with different aperture and focus settings.

Can you notice any differences between the three pictures?  The first picture is set to a smaller aperture size which results in an increased depth of field (aka clearer, crisper background).  Aperture is the size of the opening in the diaphragm of a lens through which light passes.  The second picture is set to a larger aperture size which results in a blurred background.  Both the first and second pictures are focused on the flowers closest to the camera.  The third picture is focused on the leaves across the pond which blurs the flowers closest to the camera.  Pretty cool how I can get three totally different pictures from the exact location?!

Next, I took a couple pictures of the following water fountain with different shutter speeds.

Here are some close-ups of the water fountain…

The first picture is taken with a fast shutter speed which gives a snap shot of the water fountain showing water droplets.  The second picture is taken with a slower shutter speed which gives with effect of flowing water.  Which effect do you prefer?

After walking around the park for one and a half hours (I worked up quite a sweat) and taking about 80 different pictures, I headed home to watch the disappointing Saints game.  We lost in over-time

Hope everyone enjoys the last few hours of the weekend!  Thanks to all my loyal readers. I truly appreciate every visit

Kasey

The other day, I was reading through a magazine and came across a somewhat startling statistic- “95% of US healthcare funds go towards treating illness with only 5% going towards disease prevention”.  Practicing in a hospital setting, this news is not exactly shocking to me because the majority of my patients have acute illnesses.  On the rare occasion, I may receive an outpatient weight loss referral for a patient that that has not yet developed co-morbidities such as high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes.  This infrequent occurrence usually requires a prevention-minded doctor and an extremely motivated patient. 

It’s obvious that American medicine is not doing such a great job of promoting health and wellness nor is it preventing chronic diseases.  Taking responsibility and ownership of our own health is important.   

How do you define health?  I believe being healthy is much more that being free of illness/sickness and that one’s health is defined by one’s behaviors.  Many of today’s illnesses are a result of people’s behaviors such as smoking, inactivity, and poor nutrition. 

What have you done for your health today?  So far today, I am close to reaching my fruit and veggie goals (should reach after dinner) and I plan on exercising as soon as I press “Publish”!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week

Kasey

 Photos taken by me during our honeymoon

A balanced life is something I strive for.  Scheduling a weekday dinner with a friend, enjoying a glass of wine without the noisy TV in the background, or looking at my wedding/honeymoon pictures countless times because they make me smile are all things that I have done recently to try to really appreciate life to the fullest.  I’m a work in progress and constantly have to practice “living in the moment”! 

What was the last simple pleasure you enjoyed?

Are you “living in the moment”? 

Kasey