Peachy

Listening to What A Girl Wants Soundtrack (Yeah, the Amanda Bynes movie. You know you loved it.)
Craving Chick-fil-a - what's  new?
    I know, I fell off the face of the earth. Again. I've been a bit busy. But on the bright side, when I have time, I've been working out with my bffl Suzie-cutes, and I even signed up for classes yesterday - right? I do have to meet with my adviser this coming Monday or Tuesday to officially change my major to English Ed, and hopefully get into one more class if he has mercy on my procrastinating soul, but aside from that I'm set up for a busy semester! I recently had some stuff done to my foot which put me out of the loop for a week or so, and had to get the same thing done again this past Monday, which was no fun, but with luck this will be the last time. In between those two incidents, of course, I got sick. But things are looking up!
   I was doing so well, you know, with the whole Wordy Wednesdays thing, but I've got something to make it up to you - a recipe! I know, right? The queen of Chick-fil-A in a kitchen? What is the world coming to? But it's really yummy and summery, and get this: healthy. Stop the presses! Sarah Jane is becoming a health nut! ... Well, not so much, but I'm trying to do better. So here you go: Homemade Peach Frozen Yogurt!

All you need (for one serving) is two peaches, a small container of vanilla Greek yogurt, sugar or sugar substitute (I prefer sugar because Splenda isn't really good for you at all and Stevia just doesn't cut it for me. Plus it's only a teaspoon. If I'm doing sugar I'm doing it right.), and vanilla extract. Plus, you know, a freezer and a blender/food processor.

The vanilla isn't in the photo because I had to go buy some. hee hee.

Step One: Peel both peaches.

(Or ask a grown-up to do it for you! Nick Jr. anyone?)

Step Two: Slice into thin wedges and freeze for an hour. (I promise the wait is worth it.)

Step Three: Put the peaches in your blender/food processor and blend a little to chop them up. You may have to let them thaw a tad to get them out of the bowl, or if you're lazy like me, microwave for twenty seconds.

Step Four: Add half the container of Greek yogurt, one teaspoon vanilla extract, and one teaspoon sugar.

Step Five: Blend until smooth. You may have to stop and stir periodically. Frozen peaches are stubborn little things. 

Step Six: Enjoy!

Super easy and super delicious! Plus it's not super unhealthy! And I'm sure it would be delicious with other fruits. Maybe like pineapple and mango? Yum!

I'm Back!

from here

Listening to Clopin Clopant by Django Reinhardt. I'm learning to love this guy. Reminds me of the music from this Pixar short.
Contemplating what to make for dinner. Veggie Pizza? Chicken with goat cheese and lemon butter herb sauce? The possibilities are endless! Actually the possibilities sort of end there... I need to expand my cooking abilities.
    Hey, peeps! I'm back! I think life has officially calmed down enough for me to begin blogging semi-consistently again. Stop laughing. I'm going to get better at it. So, an update, yes?
     Finally reached the end of the semester, and got my grades back - two As, a B, and a C. I know, I'm not super happy about the C either, but the class was difficult, and I didn't enjoy it even though I worked hard for it, so I'll live with it. I'm pretty sure one of the Bs was borderline C, but my final project really made the difference in my grade. And the As were in my two favorite classes, so they were expected.
    Back in the last week of April, Coco was deployed. I'm not sure I'm allowed to say exactly where he is, but I'll just say middle east. I get to hear from him once a day if I'm lucky - a little facebook message if he can get access to the internet - and yes, it does suck. He could be there anywhere from seven to nine months. So if y'all could keep him in your prayers, that would be delightful.
    On Saturday night, my sister and I took my mom out to the Cheesecake Factory for Mother's Day. It's a tradition because Maggs and my mom love cheesecake. (My dad was out of state visiting his mother.) The dinner was absolutely delicious, as per usual, but I got the wrong dessert. I ordered the Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake, which is not in fact a cheesecake, but chocolate cake layered with chocolate mousse. I got it last year and only had three bites the first night then put it in the fridge at home, and by day two, everyone else in my family had eaten it for me. Even though they had their own cheesecakes to eat. So I didn't get to eat my own cake. This year, they gave me a truffle cheesecake instead. I hate cheesecake. So I didn't get to eat my cake this year either. Sadface.
    On a brighter note, I started a writing group with some friends this summer. We're meeting every other Wednesday to discuss what we're working on and critique each others' writing. Four of us are actually working on novels, and then the other one is doing short stories. For the sake of their privacy, I'll use the following nicknames: Kelly Kapowski, Moose, GI Bob, and This Friend. I'm pretty psyched about it. Finally letting people read the book I've been working on for the past four years - it's been four years now, guys!
    So yeah. Gonna be a fun summer. Gird your loins. Ha.

Summer in the South

from Shay002 at iconator.com

Listening to Tonight Tonight by Hot Chelle Rae (I swear, greatest song to happen to me this summer. May or may not have been listening to this on repeat for the last six days.)
Missing Coco Bean the Marine. Sounds like a tough guy, right?
    Summer in Georgia is boring. Like driving down I-16 from Macon to Statesboro with a broken radio boring. Especially when you have to save your money. If you have money to throw around, there are plenty of things to do (e.g. take trips, go to theme parks, buy every season of How I Met Your Mother), but if not, your options are very limited.
    In light of this fact, I thought I'd share the ways I've been entertaining myself (and could potentially entertain myself) on a low budget.

1. Continuing to edit my book. There have been a few setbacks and downers, but I'm determined to finish, even if the possibility of publishing looks grim.
2. Buying cheap string from Michael's and making awesome bracelets that cost way less than the popular ones in stores. (Since when did the stuff I could make in fifth grade start selling for thirteen bucks?)
3. Reading new books. Can't wait for this one. (Okay so this one isn't always cheap, but if you ask me, it's a better use of my money than a one-time theme park ticket.)
4. Finding a cool spot from which to watch a sunset. Take pictures.
5. Hanging out with friends.
6. Writing letters - to people and things.
7. Watching old animated Disney movies - c'mon, I know you have them all on VHS. Dig out the VCR and enjoy them, fuzzy picture and all.
8. Watching a bunch of trailers on IMDB and making lists of what upcoming movies I want to see. What? I like lists. 

    So there you go. Eight ways to entertain yourself during a boring summer in the south. I wish I had more, but truth be told, I'm about as bored as you are!