A Wish Come True

I was going through my old blog posts from when I was a whiny college kid and I came across the post title:
Thoughts

In the post, I made a list of what I wanted in a man that would marry. Now ladies, let's be honest, all of us have either done this or have thought about doing this. Most of us have qualities that we think are important in a companion or spouse.

Here is my list from 2008:
I want:
-someone who is strong in the gospel.
-someone who is serious when they need to be, but not serious about the little things
-someone who likes the outdoors and will take me hiking and to the ocean and anything that involves the outdoors.
-someone athletic
-good communication
-someone who makes me laugh...I mean really really laugh.
-honesty. I don't get upset when people are honest; I am pretty accepting. I do get upset when people are dishonest and I find out.
-A temple worthy RM. I am planning at this time to serve a mission. If I end up going this will be a must unless they are converts and did not have the opportunity to serve.
-someone who is good with kids. I love guys that love kids. I want children and I want someone who wants them as much as I do.

Well Mr. Green matches every single thing on this list, for better or for worse. :) He is very strong and active in our religion, is very serious (even when I wish he weren't), he loves the outdoors-especially the beach, he is very athletic (he still hold the pull-up record at his high school after 6 years, and everyone knows him because his name hangs in the gymnasium), he is the best communicator and that's how  I came to fall in love with him, we laugh- hysterically- and we love to scare each other, he is extremely honest and I appreciate it so much, he is a returned missionary and he is temple worthy, he is great with kids and when I see him with our niece- I get excited about having kids of my own.

It's so funny to look back at our hopes and dreams written down in places like our journals, or blogs, and realize how truly blessed we are when we work towards accomplishing the things that are so important to us. Marriage is a sacrifice only in that you are no longer able to make decisions for just you, but it is a rich blessing in life to have a companion to love you, protect you, care for you, and want the best for you.

Here is a picture of my and my Mr. Green.

I love him. We don't believe in soul mates, but I guarantee you, this is as close as it gets.
-The Little Green Girl

First Fashion Post

Ok, so I'm not going to pretend to be some fashionista, or the worlds most well-dressed woman, because that is far from the truth. Those who know me know that I would rather be in my sweatpants and a t-shirt any day of the week. Sweatpants to me, are like chocolate to milk; they aren't necessary, but they make things so much better!
Sweats don't have my whole heart. You see, I am a woman after all. I love to shop. I love shoes, handbags, accessories, cute tops, and dresses. Although I wear sweatpants much more than I should, I can't resist getting dolled up and wearing a nice outfit. Something I have realized is that I get more compliments this way. People always expect to see me dressed down, so when I dress up- it takes them by surprise and I get compliments the whole day long. (Tricky, I know.)
Let me also say that I work at a gym so it's perfectly acceptable to wear sweatpants to work. (Gotta love that one!) Today, though- today I decided to wear a cute outfit. I have on a nice pair of flair jeans, a long-sleeved grey shirt, with a white tank that has black and grey embellishments on it. It's a good looking outfit.
What makes this outfit even sweeter was the price. Now, usually I do not discuss my finances with people and I don't tell people what I spend on things, because I feel that those things are a private matter, however I feel that this is a time that I don't mind saying the amount I paid for this outfit considering it was super inexpensive.

My jeans I bought on a previous trip to TJMAXX: $20
Long-sleeved grey shirt (TJMAXX): $6.99
Embellished Tank (TJMAXX): $7.99
Total cost of the outfit (rounding up): $35!!!!

I will add pictures to this post later once I get done at work and dance tonight.

I guess my whole point in blogging about fashion is that you can look nice without breaking the bank or budget and I will help you know how to do that.

I will also post tutorials on how to sew things yourself for those of you who like to get your craft on. I know I do!

Have a great day today,
The Little Green Girl

Sweet and Sour Chicken- DELICIOSO!

The story behind this recipe is simple:
In college I had a roommate and best friend (Kylie Kilger Rounds) whose family took me in like one of their own. We visited her family who lived 2 hours south of campus every few weekends to have a good home-cooked meal and do our laundry. One night her mom cooked this meal. I do not like water chestnuts or mushrooms so I left them out of this modified recipe.

AND It's Kylie's birthday today so it's perfect to post this on her birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEST FRIEND!!!!!! I MISS YOU TERRIBLY!

Ok wait, wait, wait..... I am going to post the actual email that this recipe was forwarded to me in. It made me laugh this morning. I will explain the humor after I post it.

Email to Kylie from her mom:

Kylie,  Lauren called yesterday and wanted this recipe. I think it was this one, it was hard to understand her. I doubled it.

Pineapple Sweet n' Sour Chicken

1 can (20 oz) Pineapple chunks, reserve 2 Tbsp. of juice when draining.

1 med green or red bell pepper, cut into chunks (I used one of each)

1 med. onion, cut into chunks ( I didn't double the onion)

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (I omitted)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup prepared sweet and sour sauce (comes in a jar, it's a red sauce)

2 Tbsp soy sauce
Drain pineapple; reserve 2 Tbsp. of juice.

Cook in hot oil, over medium heat, peppers, onion, and mushrooms,

until tender- crisp. Remove vegetables; set aside.

Cook Chicken, until browned.

Add vegetables back to skillet with

sauces, pineapple and reserve juice. Heat through.

Serve with rice. Top with chow mein noodles if desired.

I guess she liked it. I know she doesn't like peppers or onions or mushrooms. Almost as picky as Katie! :)

Love you, Mom

This is so funny to me because when I met them they couldn't understand me at all! I was from the south and my accent had yet to wear down. I also speak extremely fast for a southerner. 

The second reason this is so funny is because I used to be an extremely picky eater (I am still picky, but I have gotten better), but I love this recipe even with the onions and peppers. 

Ok so there you have it above, right from the email from Penny to Kylie. I will post pictures when I make this tonight (without the mushrooms of course!). Feel free to modify this recipe away because its super easy to do!

Update: 10/2/12- The pictures above are from the dinner I made.
I froze the leftovers flat and stacked it into my freezer because there was no way just two of us could finish all of that! I plan to eat it later on this month. Here is my picture of how I freeze my meals to eat later on:

I can't figure out how to rotate the pictures on Blogger....any ideas?

<3 p="p">The Little Green Girl

Little Moments

I know, I complain all the time about how busy we are and how we never have time for anything. Needless to say it's going to be that way until December at least. I promise here and now to stop complaining about it-after this post.

Driving home from a 12 hour work day yesterday, I heard Brad Paisley's "Little Moments". If you don't know the song or can't remember the lyrics, it's pretty simple. He sings about all of the crazy things that happen in marriage and how they are the little moments that he hopes he always remembers because they make him the happiest. When I got home yesterday, Mr. Green was already studying for his EMT class and I knew it would be a long night. I opened the office door and plopped down into his lap and I snuggled right into his neck, breathing in his cologne and body wash smell, one I have missed terribly over the last few weeks.

I realized during that one minute of closeness, that that was my little moment. It was the only thing I looked forward to after a long days work. It wasn't watching a movie or going on a date, or even having the time to be intimate with him after a long day that I had to look forward to, it was the simple minute in his lap, with his arms around me, breathing the same air, that I wanted so badly, for that is all I can hope for at the end of each long day this semester.

That simple moment of pure joy gave me the energy I needed to clean the house, go shopping for groceries and finally be able to climb into bed after an incredibly long day. As I got to thinking about that moment yesterday, plenty of other moments came into my memory. One being a few weeks before the summer ended. I was feeling awfully sick and we were at my in-laws house. After lunch we all went in the living room and Mr. Green and I took the loveseat. We just snuggled up and I fell asleep on him and it was like we were dating again.

The next thing that was surely a moment I will always remember and be grateful for was Friday after my second day at my new job. I had come home after working my new job and my old job all in one day. The person I look after at my new job has a Traumatic Brain Injury and was in a deep depression Friday and could only speak of ending his life. He was angry and me and pushed me a few times. I took it well, but and I had told my mom about it without a hint of emotion. As soon as I got home that night, a wave of emotion flooded my body and I began crying. Mr. Green just let me cry. He held me and asked me what made me emotional about the situation and help me gain perspective about what had happened. I am now ready for another week at my new job, with a renewed commitment to no take things personally.

Another one that came to mind was this past Saturday. I had to work and soon after I got home, Mr. Green had to leave for a Men's activity with our church that he was in charge of planning. I curled up on the couch and streamed the UNC-ECU game. I talked to him before the activity started and he told me to come visit. I told him "No thanks, I don't want to be the only wife there". (I was incredibly flattered that he wanted me to be there even though it was only men. I thought men liked doing man things without their wives around.) He got home around 11PM that night and I was ready for bed. He sat down on the couch and said "So, I bragged about you a lot tonight". Really?, I thought. "I told all the guys how easy it is to be married to you and how much fun we have doing absolutely nothing, and how you are cooler than a lot of guys, you know more about sports, you are so relaxed and you let me do the things I want to do and buy what I want to buy." (It's true I do.) I told him "It is easy, we are best friends and we don't have much to argue about, but we have plenty to talk about and laugh about and I would rather hang out with you than any one else, and I know I complain about how we have no friends, but most of the time I am just content to be with you and no one else, so I don't really care that we don't have many friends here". I also told him "I do let you buy whatever you want, but you buy me the things that I really want too, except a dog!"

The story of him bragging about me was confirmed at church when a few of the guys who went to the activity told me of Mr. Green's bragging. I was flattered and it was another one of those "little moments" that I hope I never forget.

What are your little moments? My advice is to enjoy the moment you are in. Stop worrying about the future. Stop trying so hard to plan and prepare for what's next that you forget about why you are actually here. None of us are guaranteed a future, but we are guaranteed right now- this moment. Use every moment of your life to the best of your abilities. I know we will all get caught up with our infatuations of the future, but I hope that we never lose sight of the here-and-now and that we can make something of it so we aren't left with a full future, but an empty past.

With love and hope for the day,
The Little Green Girl

Mexican Corn and Bean Soup (Freezer Option)

In my frantic rush to find recipes to freeze, I stumbled across this gem.

MEXICAN CORN AND BEAN SOUP

I found this on momswhothink.com

Here is the actual link to the recipe:
http://www.momswhothink.com/crock-pot-recipes/mexican-corn-and-bean-soup.html

This stuff was awesome. The night I decided to make it, it was late, I was sick, Mr. Green was wiped out and I was about to fall over dead from exhaustion. Well, I mixed these ingredients together as quickly as possible, popped in on the stove top instead of the crock-pot, and it came out amazing. I froze the other half of it because I doubled the recipe. It was phenomenal. I was so sick and it went down so nicely...

I ate the leftovers the next day and I have been craving it again since. The only thing that would have made this recipe better would have been some cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.

Here is the wonderful recipe:

Mexican Corn and Bean Soup:
Ingredients:
2½ cups tomato juice
1 (14½ ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups corn
2 cups canned kidney beans
¾ cup finely chopped large onion
¾ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper

Optional:
cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips


directions: combine all ingredients into the slow cooker, cook on high 3-4 hours.


TO FREEZE:
Place all ingredients in a Ziploc bag and write the cooking directions on the front. Freeze flat and enjoy later!

Have a happy Saturday. GO TARHEELS!
-The Little Green Girl

Freezer Meals- The real deal!

Ok, so a few weeks ago I was desperate for easy meal ideas for those of us on budgets and time restraints. You see, this fall my husband added an EMT course to his full-load work week. He is awake by 4:30 am, out the door by 5:00am, works 7-3, and would be home by 5, but now he has class 6-10pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he is doing his reading and homework which usually takes 4-6 hours a night. So as you can see, he doesn't have a whole lot of time to cook or clean.

My new schedule is working all day at a desk job, then babysitting for 2 hours after work, and then dancing 3 nights a week. I also have limited time to worry about cooking and cleaning.

So like I told you, I was desperate for quick and easy meal ideas. I asked friends on Facebook for their ideas and almost everyone said "CROCK-POT"!!!!!! Okay, my next dilemma was finding time in the mornings to get stuff put into the crock-pot, but someone recommended freezing meals and then throwing them into the crock pot in the morning before work (takes 2 minutes), and then it's ready at night to eat.

I gave this a go- and let me tell you, it was AMAZING! Not only was it super quick, easy, and tasty, it SAVED me A TON of MONEY! (Sorry for the all-caps, but really, it's that exciting)

So here is how it works:  

FIRST:
Find recipes that have ingredients that can be frozen. 
(For example: chicken and sauce with onions.  WARNING: Potatoes don't freeze well unless blanched)

Once you have your recipes all picked out, check off all ingredients that you have on hand, and then make a shopping list of everything you need to finish your meals. 

Your shopping list MUST include Gallon Ziploc Bags (unless you have them already)

EXAMPLE: 
Recipe Ingredient List: 
-3 Chicken Breasts
- 1 Large Onion  (check)
- 1 c. barbeque sauce
- 1/4 c. zesty italian dressing (check)

Shopping List:
- Chicken Breasts
- Barbeque sauce
-Gallon Ziploc Bags

 
Then go grocery shopping. SUGGESTION: Make sure to prepare enough meals to last you all week, this will vary depending on family size, etc. Also, it's great to do breakfast and lunches this way too, not only dinners. 

Hopefully though, you will see that your cost of making these meals brings your food bill down and allows you to feed your family, no matter the size, for cheaper. 

Mr. Green and I were spending anywhere between $100-200 a week on groceries, and for 3 weeks straight I have yet to break $80 and that includes the ridiculous amounts of snack food and lunch foods for his lunches (and we live in CT where things are pretty expensive). 

NEXT STEP:
Get home, label some Ziploc Bags with the Recipe Name, Day's Date, and cooking/serving instructions.

Example: 

Hearty Chili 9/22/12
Instructions:
- Place in crock-pot on low 6-8 hours, or on high 3-4 hours
- Serve with sour cream, cheese, or tortilla chips.

(once it's labeled there is no confusion on what to do with it)

THEN:
Slice and dice everything you need for your recipes, place all of the ingredients in their labeled bags and squeeze all of the air out before sealing the bags. 

Lay them flat in the freezer and once frozen you can stack them to keep your freezer organized with plenty of space.

FINALLY:
Throw those suckers in the crock-pot and cook them according to directions.

NOTE: Not all freezer-meals are crock-pot meals. I will differentiate between them as I blog the recipes.


This has saved me so much time, effort, and money over the past month and I continue to come up with more ideas and recipes to freeze. I will post pictures with this post to walk you through the steps and I will also start adding recipes to follow. 

One idea to give: make up your own waffles, let them cool, stack them all together in a baggie and freeze for your very own EGG-O waffles! ( I did this with a whole-wheat mix and added my own chocolate chips. It was divine!)
 
-The Little Green Girl

Karin Goodwin Photography

I am very grateful to know a wonderful photographer who is a surrogate sister to Bubba and I. She is Bubba's sister's best friend, and she attended the Hallmark Institute of Photography. She takes some amazing photos and my niece is one of her best subjects (I'm not biased at all). We recently asked her to take a photo of us at the Goshen Fair. It was around 9:30 PM, with no lights other than the ones coming from the booths, and this is what she captured:

I think it turned out great! You should check her out on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/KarinGoodwinPhotography

Or on her blog:
https://www.karingoodwinphotography.blogspot.com

Have a wonderful night. I'm off to bed.
~The Little Green Girl

Green Girl's Favorite Green Beans!

Ok so these are my absolute favorite green beans ever, but if you have any health concerns- STAY AWAY!
These green beans are cooked on the grill (although you can cook them in the oven if it's too cold outside).

The history of this recipe:
When I was in high school, my mom was cooking for a few people from church. When she got home from work to begin preparing the meal, she realized that the oven and stove top were not working. She can make any bad situation better with a little quick thinking. She decided to throw the meal on the grill. Including the green beans!


Ingredients:
-Fresh green beans separated into individual serving sizes
-1 stick of butter (margarine will work, but it burns easier and tastes completely different)
-salt
-pepper

Directions:
1. Pull out a square piece of tin foil. (One tin foil square will be needed per serving)
2. Place one serving of green beans on the tin foil
3. Add 1 chunk of butter to each serving (usually 1 tbsp)
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
5. Pull the two sides of the tin foil up together and then begin folding them down towards the green beans-several folds will be needed. Then fold each side inward using the same folding so the butter won't leak into the grill.
6. Grill the green beans on the top rack of the grill on medium heat for 20-30 minutes, then serve.

These green beans remind me of my favorite season of the year which is summer and remind me of my husband and the love we share. We both love green beans and we would eat them every day if we could. Unfortunately, our garden didn't produce them like we had hoped this year. :( 

Remember to eat healthy, but eat well. Love life, love the day, and love yourself.

Remember to love,
~The Little Green Girl

Amazing Grilled Chicken With a Dry Rub

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."
-George Bernard Shaw

One night we were having a large group of people over for dinner and the group kept growing. I was stressed out about how to make a great tasting dinner and have it be exciting and less boring that just plain grilled chicken.

I googled recipes for a chicken rub and came across one that I liked. I did not have time to write it down so I winged it. I am also winging it right now while I am typing this post, but it's something along these lines and you can change it to taste. :)

Dry Chicken Rub:
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-4 tbsp (or more) paprika
-1 tbsp garlic powder
-1 tbsp dry parsley flakes
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
-2 tsp onion powder

1 lb bonless skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl
2. Heat grill to medium heat
3. Rub mix onto chicken and coat completely
4. Grilled until thoroughly cooked (don't over cook this or the rub will blacken)
5. Take off of grill and serve!

This is a great recipe for a quick and easy dinner! My friends talked about how great it was and I was please with it myself.

Have a great week, be happy, and

Remember to love,
-The Little Green Girl

Alone

"He alone is great and happy who requires neither to command nor to obey in order to secure his being of some importance in this world."
-Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

I like being alone sometimes. I like processing my thoughts and feelings. I like the silence.

Living in someone's house with more than just my husband leaves me little time to actually be alone. Little time to think through my thoughts and feelings. Little time for just ME.

Marriage is the greatest gift I have been given in my life thus far. I have a best friend that I spend 24/7 with, never get tired of, laugh with constantly, and learn from and grow with. It is amazing. I love not actually having to spend time by myself. I love being around someone constantly. But there are those moments; the small moments where my brain feels knotted, my heart feels like it is my brain and I just need time to decipher the messages that are getting mixed in the mess.


I am not a quiet person by any means. I am talkative (to say the least), rambunctious, goofy, and sometimes just downright weird. I have a love for life that can't be described. It's like an addiction with the day. I want to be with people and out and about, but there are those days-every month or so, that I just want to be lazy, sleep, be alone. My solitary confinement.

People who know me assume that when I am having days like this that there is something wrong with me. They think I am sad or irritated, or too quiet. They don't realize that sometimes my body and brain just need to power down to rejuvenate after going like the Energizer Bunny for months on end.

There is nothing wrong with me. I am still happy, I am still in love with the day, I am still me, just not on steroids! :) When I have a day like today it is best to just let me be alone; to let me be on a date with myself.
When someone is just trying to be nice,  but are constantly talking to me- I might come across as mean or short, but I really just have no desire to talk (for once!).

I am glad that the house is empty. I am grateful that I am able to relax before work, and that I have nothing to say to anyone and I'm not feeling forced to talk. Now is my time to relax- my time for me- my time to be alone.

Remember, being alone is not a bad thing if you can find the joy within. Find the serenity and peace of the silence. Find the happiness that can come from sincere reflection and sort out your feelings. This helps me become a better person. I reflect on ways I can be a better person and I start then and there. Right here, right now.

Today is a great day. I have had time to think and relax, to learn and grow from within, and to celebrate the fact that today is the start of College Hoops. :) Let's Go Tarheels!! (And Utah State Aggies- My Alma Mater). 5pm is Late Night with Roy Williams. I can't wait!

Toodles my friends.

Remember to love,
The Little Green Girl. <3

Our new baby!

"Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls."
 -Mother Teresa

So we have been very excited about adding a little something to our family for a while now. We are forbidden from having a dog where we are currently living, and no one liked my cute little guinea pig, so we have settled on a kitten! They are easy to take care of, they are loving (which was the argument against my guinea pig), and they are low maintenance- unlike dogs which need to be walked daily and have to be let out to use the restroom. I would love to have a dog- don't get me wrong, but at this point in our life, our cat is the perfect choice.
So without further adieu-

Our Nameless Cat!

If you can't just love that little face then I don't know what you will love! That thing is so stinkin cute!! We have a few more weeks before we get him, but I can't wait!

Bring joy into your life-

Remember to Love,
The Little Green Girl

Blessings

"A sense of blessedness comes from a change of heart, not from more blessings."

-Mason Cooley

    I always think about happiness in life and what causes me to be truly happy. I realize that I am happy because I recognize my blessings. When I see the things that I have in my life that are excess, the things that I don't need, but that I have, it makes me grateful, humble, and happy.
    For some of us, we don't have excessive commodities and luxuries beyond our wildest dreams, but everyone, from every walk of life, can be grateful. Growing up, I did not have all of the fancy things that other kids had at school, but I wasn't alone. That was a blessing to know that other kids experienced what I experienced. There were times that I hated the fact that I lived in a trailer, but at least I had shelter, when so many others struggled to keep warm. That was a blessing.
    I know that the glass half empty/glass half full analogy is over used, but do you ever look at the fact that there might be one drop of water in the glass and recognize it as a blessing? So what? You don't have nice clothes or nice cars or nice houses or maybe no house at all, but do you look and think- I have a beautiful child, I have love, I have shelter from the storm, I have a job (even though the pay and hours are undesirable).....it's not always about viewing the glass as half full or half empty, it's about recognizing that at least there is water in the glass. At least there is that one small drop to wet your tongue when all else is gone.
    Not everyone who will read my blog will believe in God or the Bible to be the word of God, but regardless of beliefs, it is a great literary work with heroes, wars, sacrifice and love. So if you don't believe in the Bible or God or you think it's false then just read the following story as a literary work of fiction and not one of truth- because I know that the Bible contains the words and works of Jesus the Christ and God his father, but it is still a great story without faith and knowledge that it is historically accurate and true.
    One story that I would like to tell from the Bible is that of Job (Joe-b) who loses everything he has and faces excruciating pains and health problems, but doesn't blame God or the world for his problems, he simply looks at the only thing he has left which is his troubled life and recognizes that God gave him everything he had including his life and if God see it fit to take those blessings away then he had all right to do so.
    Job was wealthy and had mansions and many children who were also rich. Job recognized the hand of God for giving him everything he had, but Satan felt that if Job weren't so rich and were really tempted and tried, that he would blame God and fail his faith. Satan was allowed to cause Jobs houses to fall and crush his children (consistent with an earthquake)- yet he praised God for knew that his family would be in the Lord's rest. Satan, felt that enough had not been done to test Job and that by physically inflicting him, he might turn against the Lord and Satan would win. Satan was allowed to cause large Boils to cover every inch of Job's body. Job never speaks against the Lord even through his mourning.
    And here is my favorite part: Job's friend that comes to mourn with him says "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty:" and he continues to tell him that God will rescue him for his faithfulness.
   Let me point out that this is a man who has lost EVERYTHING. He has lost his land, his houses, his servants, his children, and now his health. This man has no water left in his cup-not even a drop. Even in the depths of despair Job never gives  up and he is always optimistic that God will rescue him and he sees his blessings as his friends, and his life.
   Just remember that while we may never experience extreme trials such as Job's, we face our own trials and tribulations on a daily basis. If we focus on the things that are lost or the things we don't have, then how can we be grateful for the blessings that surround us?
   From a shelter bed, to a trailer bed, to a house bed to a hospital bed- find one blessing- find one drop in your cup. And thank whatever powers you believe in for having that one precious drop of water. That one thing may be the difference between finding joy and being grateful for happiness, and a deep despair that leaves us bitter and lonely.
   The choice is ours. We can choose to be happy and grateful and recognize what we have in life, even if it's only one good thing, or we can choose to be sad, lonely, depressed, and all but give up on our search for happiness in this life- but you choose.

I am grateful for many things in my life. I am grateful for my friends who make this life worth it, for my husband who is my rock and source of all the laughter in my life, for Christ who is the ultimate source of happiness in my life and who has seen me through the loneliest and darkest periods that I have faced, for a nice house to be living in, and for the job that I have when so many others are facing unemployment.

I am blessed in life. I have more that I could ask for in my life and I hope that you can find the blessings in yours.

Be happy and remember to love,

~The Little Green Girl

The Little Things

"Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow."
-Swedish Proverb

        Do you ever find yourself fretting over the smallest little thing? I know I have days that I feel are completely trumped by one small obstacle. Last week we were helping friends of ours move and I was so utterly crabby that I couldn't hide my irritability from anyone, even when I tried my best. Some of our friends walked in and the husband immediately said "Lauren what's wrong? You don't look happy." Well thanks pal! :D I decided that I was not going to let the little things become the big things because then the big things will become colossal and then I will FREAK OUT and go CRAZY. Just kidding, but really, I can handle anything if I ignore the small things and make the big things the small things. That would make life so much better. If everyone did this then I think the world would be a pretty happy place for a larger group of people.
        This morning I woke up with a huge pimple on my NECK! So weird and gross. I was bummed a little since I have a wedding party to attend tonight. I ended up just ignoring the huge mountain growing on my neck and hang out with a friend who was having a much worse day than I. I couldn't even think about my pimple with everything that she was going through. Needless to say I look amazing for the wedding and the mountain is covered to the best of my abilities and I had a great day regardless of a bad zit.

I guess the whole point of this post is to, in some round about way, remind everyone to let go of the small things that don't matter, like silly pimples, or rude people in public, or anything else that comes to mind, and remember to love the life you have, for it is all you have. Tackle the big challenges so that they don't become so large that you bust from them or give up, and let the small things go.

Remember to love,
The Little Green Girl

Summer Fun

"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it."
-Russel Baker

Talk about a love for life! This was one summer I will never forget. Some wonderful things happened during the summer I filmed these clips. I was back and living in my hometown for the first time in years. I was working with wonderful people. I traveled to Yankee land for my first time since I was little, and the man of my dreams proposed to me. What was not to love about that summer?-Nada

Here is a funny video that my friends and I made. We were making fun of the little children who never listened on the slide and did the most outrageous things. I hope you enjoy.
Remember to love,
The Little Green Girl

Pasta Clarizio

"A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body."
-Benjamin Franklin

There is a special place in my heart for this recipe. When I was in high school, my family was struggling financially. We were hungry and had very few ingredients around the house. So we all pitched in and made this simple meal and named it after our family.

This little dish is one of my favorites. It's simple and quick and easy enough for anyone lacking great cooking skills.

Ingredients:
-1/4 cup Olive Oil
-1 Can of black olives (any will work, but you will have to cut them up)
-4 cloves of garlic (minced)
-1 box of linguine or spaghetti noodles
-salt/garlic salt to taste

Cooking directions:
-Using large pot, bring water to a boil and add noodles. Turn to medium heat and let noodles cook through.
-In a large pan, add olive oil and bring to medium heat (you don't want the oil too hot or it will burn the garlic). Add the minced garlic and saute until slightly browned and remove from heat. Add the black olives (without the juice) and be careful not to let the oil get you because adding a water based liquid will cause the oil to pop and splatter.
-Drain the noodles and return to the pot. Pour the olive oil, garlic and olive mix over the noodles and mix thoroughly.
-Add salt or garlic salt to taste.

Hope you love this simple family favorite.

Remember to Love,
The Little Green Girl

Back to it

It has been quite some time since I have blogged about anything, but I am back and ready to blog like I have never blogged before. I am going to have a few focuses on this new and improved blog. The overall goal will be to promote love. It may be a love of learning, or a love of food or a love of life, but find love however you can. The new blog will include things like a DIY section. Another will be a recipes section. A third section will include stories from my daily life.
I hope you will enjoy the new blog.
Remember to love,
~The Little Green Girl

Nichole and I skipped out on work one day and went shopping :) And another day we went to Annapolis, and another time we went to Ocean City and slept in Nikita-Nichole's black car :)
My family came for a visit right before I went home and that was so much fun


well it's late so I will post more later

Profession: Solicitor

Among all the geckos, snakes, gators, slammed doors, police cars, wet sweaty clothes, mosquito bites and thunder storms you would pretty much say my job is a breeze. Life as a full time solicitor has its perks ( farmers tans, old men hitting on you, and sight seeing every neighborhood in Tampa FL ). I pretty much know where i would want to live if i ever moved to FL. So lets be serious for a second, summer life is pretty much the hardest thing possible, but they say "if you can make through a summer of selling pest control, you can pretty much handle any job out there". Any buyers?

Oh Florida!

Wow I know it has been quite some time since I have blogged, but I am back...atleast for today. I don't have much time so I'll do some bullet point updates:
-Selling ANYTHING door to door is very difficult, but it is humbling because I know that the Heavenly Father guides me through this learning process.
-It's hot as Hades here, but I have a beautiful farmers tan after only a week.
-Boys are wimps. The guys here are so homesick that it isn't funny and the girls are the only ones that haven't complained.
-I have decided that after being told by 3 different married men that I need to find myself a boyfriend that they are right :)

Well here is a little overview of my every day schedule. I get up at 8 and I'm ready to go by 9. Around 11 we get to the office and have correlation. Then after that we go out and sell until 9 at night. It is so hard! Saturdays are worse. Our correlation starts at 8 and we knock until 6. Sundays are our only days off and wow it really is a "day of rest". Well I am getting ready to get off of here because my manager is being nice and letting me use the computer. Later guys!!

oh P.S. I'll add pictures as soon as I can.

Thoughts

Sometimes I think about really random things...here are some of the things.

1. I hate being single.

2. Even though I hate being single, I don't want to steady date anyone.

3. I love humidity.

4. I love sunshine.

5. If I had to live in the city I think I would survive wonderfully, but put me in the country and there are no doubts that I would be happy.

6. Dancing is one of my favorite things to do and I go every opportunity I get.

7. I used to be tough, Utah has broken me down a bit and that has made me a little insecure.

8. I have a necklace that is a golden cross with a ruby at the point where the two parts make the cross- I love it and think it is beautiful. I understand why we aren't supposed to wear the cross, but I always want to put it on because it's from my grandpa and it means a lot to me.

9. My teddy bear is my best friend hands down. I can't count the number of times that he has be cried on this year.

10. I am so willing to sacrifice years of happiness for my mother to find someone who is strong in the gospel and take her to the temple to get married. I want more than anything for her to be happy and I think that ultimately I would be happy too. I also want to be sealed to my family and there aren't any ways to do that right now.

11. I am such a procrastinator and I wish that I weren't, but I don't know how to gain the motivation to get things done early rather than late.

12. I very much dislike the Utah dating scene. Here is why: Guys only want to date you if you want a serious relationship, or they will date you if they are pre-missionaries who can't get serious. I just want to go on some fun dates and meet great people. I also hate the fact that a few of the guys I have met that have qualities of someone I would date are taken...go figure.

13. My room is a total disaster and I HATE it, but I am so busy right now that I don't have time to pick things up.

14. I am so excited to go back to NC and see my family that I have already started packing my room :)

15. Food isn't appetizing anymore. I hate any and all food, but I have to eat.

16. There are some words that make me happy.
examples include, but are not limited to:
sluff, tinkle, and anything Hawaiian.

17. Foreign languages intrigue me, but I struggle terribly in all foreign language classes.

18. I want to start planning my wedding now even though it probably won't be for quite a few years.

19. Give me a Jones soda and watch my excitement levels rise exponentially.

20. I love working out, but I hate being sore.

21. The women I work with are by far the funniest people I have ever met. We always get each other out of potentially awkward situations.

22. I only wash my dishes with antibacterial dish soap (this stemmed from the fact that I have 2 roommates who bought the cheap stuff and I think it's disgusting).

23. Adulthood is fun, except for all of the bills that I have gained that I didn't have at age 15 :(

24. Palm Trees make me happy. Every time I go somewhere with palm trees I take a picture hugging them.

25. Every girl has a list of things they want in a guy, I realized that I do too. I didn't plan on it, but I do.

26. And with that last thought, come the next.
I want:
-someone who is strong in the gospel.
-someone who is serious when they need to be, but not serious about the little things
-someone who likes the outdoors and will take me hiking and to the ocean and anything that involves the outdoors.
-someone athletic
-good communication
-someone who makes me laugh...I mean really really laugh.
-honesty. I don't get upset when people are honest; I am pretty accepting. I do get upset when people are dishonest and I find out.
-A temple worthy RM. I am planning at this time to serve a mission. If I end up going this will be a must unless they are converts and did not have the opportunity to serve.
-someone who is good with kids. I love guys that love kids. I want children and I want someone who wants them as much as I do.


I might add to that list later, but there are a few things that are important to me.

Those are my random thoughts for the evening, I like being able to put these on here because I think about random things ALL the time.