Drink me

I know you've been looking for a new cup of a tea. Maybe you're trying to cut back on your caffeine intake but still want a little somethin' somethin'. Or perhaps a hot cup in the evening while you peruse blogs with a kitty on your lap. Look no further, my friends: this is the tea for you.

Thank you, Celestial Seasonings

Add a little sweetener, your favorite dairy/non-dairy liquid, and have yourself a party! I prefer a bit of regular sugar and 3-5 minute steep. It's definitely the little things that can really bring together the end of the day.

Personality Diversity Indicator

Here's a fun test for your Friday afternoon: the Personality Diversity Indicator. Thanks to Sara for the link.  Here are my results!

Blue/Green - The Thinking Relator

I am the most inward acting of all the behavioral styles. I like to work independently on familiar tasks that I can direct and control.

I am restrained, diplomatic and accommodating. I think of myself as a true perfectionist when dealing with tasks and people. If I fully understand the situation, I can give it my best effort.

I generally see a better way and a worse way to do things, and I know which one I would like to avoid. I do not like conflict and often find myself as not only an administrator who goes by the book, but also as someone people will come to for a balanced and thoughtful response.

My tendencies include:

• I follow established expectations and rules
• I attend precisely to details and ensure follow-through
• I dislike opposition, hostility, confrontation and adversity
• I must have stability and clarity in what people expect from me
• I am generally restrained, face saving and reluctant to get involved
• I tend to become more reserved, indirect, even secretive under pressure
• I do not like public recognition or making presentations

My Potential Limiters:

With tasks: Because I am continually on the lookout for ideal solutions, I may miss the less than perfect opportunities. I could benefit from developing more realistic expectations, adjusting to less than perfect alternatives, in my pursuit of success.

With people: I am uncomfortable with in depth involvement with people, so I could benefit by improving my social skills, getting to know and appreciate different types of people.

• I should be more open and forthright in expressing my thoughts
• I need to be more genuinely open to people different from myself

Life at 31

Hiya!

Brain dump: engage!

You know what irks me? Babble dot com. Here I sit, perusing random blogs when all of the sudden I see a post that's telling me to check out the top shoes/dresses/doo dads of the summer. Then, BAM! Here comes Babble dot com and all its slowness. The preview pics are too small and the lag time is what does it. So, one close of the tab later and I'm hoping to find some other shoe or dress that someone else deems the hit of the summer on another beloved blog. /rant.

Fail. Every time. 

In good job news, I have a new job! I'm now a case manager for a transitional housing program at a local non-profit. Folks entering the program face many barriers to housing, but have a lot of goals and aspirations during their two year stint on the program. Our agency provides self-sufficiency classes and a rental subsidy for a majority of the households. I'm carrying a heavy case load at the moment, but things will even out a bit once our new case manager comes on in the next few weeks. My second week of work brought attendance at a statewide conference on ending homelessness in Yakima. Can't wait for my health bennies to kick in come September!

Yakima has its own slug bug.

In all seriousness (as this is the internet and all), I turned 31 yesterday with very little fanfare... and I enjoyed it. Just a busy workday followed by a mellow dinner with family at Woody's Tacos. I was even in bed by 11pm. Is this for reals, yo? My party-hardy days of the last decade have been tucked away into Livejournal posts, photos, scrapbooks, and the nooks and crannies of my mind.

Honey, welcome to my box. 

Here are some neato things I found around the internets this month:

• How to make a Notice Board                               
• A recipe for quinoa salad
• Darling rick rack napkins
• What to do with all those Instagram shots
• Scallop wall art
• Painted popsicle stick garden labels
• Burritos! (these have become a staple round these parts. And we don't fry these in oil; we use our panini press.)

I've started watching Dawson's Creek, which I did not watch in high school (save for one episode I recorded and subsequently fast-forwarded through for the scene which contained background music by Alanis Morissette). Maybe I thought it was just as cheesy then as I do now. And I'm pretty sure the 'secular' tone was frowned upon at my church's youth group, although I recall a few folks that watched it in secret. Silly boundaries for teenagers are silly. I'm only three episodes in but the music is a total flashback to late 90s pop. Here's a gem for ya!

Until next time...

Chocolate peanut butter "ice cream"

Say what? Hello! Long time, no bloggy blog over here. I felt inspired to whip up a little something in the kitchen this evening, found via Pinterest. This faux ice cream is made with a just a few ingredients: frozen bananas, peanut butter, cocoa powder, and almond milk. Also, I've become obsessed with Instagram and Pictureshow, photo editing apps for my phone. Here's to the start of summer and may all your ice cream dreams come true. :)

3-4 sliced frozen bananas

Blend those babies!

1/4 cup or so for flavor

1-2 tbsp, depending on your preference

A good dollop. I bet almond butter would also be yummy!

Peanut, peanut butter... and jelly!

1 pint of the softest, dreamiest, blended confection ever known this side of 2012!

Memolane goodies

Memolane likes to send me daily emails of my memories from years past, via various social media websites. I can't believe the following photos were taken in 2007, which means my nephew Tommy is almost 6 years old! Where has the time gone? He's such a cutie?! Happy Monday!