Just something I've been working on.

I've just been working on this for a bit. It's not perfect by any means, but I've really been meaning to get it down in writing. Reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and trying to truly find the purpose in my life.

My Mission Statement

Reason for mission statement:

Because life is precious, and we generally receive one chance to get it right, I want to make sure I focus on getting the most out of it that I can. I want to focus on the things that will impact the big picture rather than getting lost in the minutia. So, I’ve decided to gather my thoughts about who I want to be.

Home Life:

I will focus on leading a fruitful life where love, adventure, respect, and health are the main components. My family will come before all else, they understand unconditional love and will always be my shelter through the storm. I will focus on maintaining my mental health by making sure I stay active and challenged physically. I will not regret any of my choices, rather use them as learning for the future.  

Professional Life:

In the professional realm I will be viewed as reliable, effective, and innovative. I will respect those whose opinion differs from mine, and learn from those differences. I will move forward with unconditional positive regard for those who work with me, for me, and come to me for assistance. Life is a journey and each of us on our own path. The roadmap to my life will not be used to rate others. I seek to foster opportunities to learn, opportunities to teach, and opportunities to improve the environment around me.

So this is an exercise in visualization and affirmation. I keep thinking about the things I want in my life and I realize that I don't really commit to anything because I'm pretty sure that my feelings will change. But, I've realized there are a few things that I want in my life, and they're not anything super empowering, enlightening, or astounding. They're just things that I know will make me feel a little more at peace when I am able to have/do them.

I want a garden. I don't want it to be huge. I like the idea of growing one of everything. Though unrealistic, I'd probably try two. It'd be like one of the ones my mom has in her backyard, and I'd have a compost made from old tires because it was what I had when I grew up, and I think it was awesome.

I want to have a kitchen with natural lighting. I want a house with natural lighting. I love my apartment, but there are too many walls. I love the sunlight. I want to live out of town, but not too far out. I don't want to look at roads out my window.

I want to write a book. A fictional one where people live in far away kingdom and magic exists in a way that no one has fathomed before.

I want to publish articles about social theories and models.

I want to own my own business that is a cafe and a microbrewery. I want it to have maps on the walls, I want big cushy chairs, I want great pastries and unique mugs. I want a place for fun and fellowship. I also want it to be socially responsible and support social entrepreneurship.

I want to backpack in Europe, hike in Colorado, and vacation on an island.

I want to be leave people feeling like I care about them, like I'm there for them.

That's all. :)

I love my cat and other information.

Now, I think most of you who know me might find this to be a surprise (ha! NOT.) But, she's just added so much to my life and really presented me with some teaching opportunities about patience and responsibility.

I absolutely love when I can hear her playing in the other room with Connor and he's just laughing. Or, she'll just hang out in the tub with her ping pong ball and kick it around until she accidentally kicks it out. Then she finds one of us, meows and asks for a little help. Yea, I guess I am a bit of a crazy cat lady, but she's awesome.

Sometimes though, whew. This morning, I was doing some yoga and she really wanted to play instead, so she was laying all over my mat, trying to knead it (she's not declawed). Once we got that all sorted out, I started my yoga without a hair tie because she was playing with the only one I could find (she's stashed most of mine somewhere around the house, she loves to play with them). It was light yoga, so I wasn't worried about it until I was doing a stretch where my head was over my knees and my hair was hanging down. She brushed into my hair, I thought for attention, and then started to claw and bite at it. It's a weird thing she has. I should have seen this as a warning. Later, during "relaxation pose" I was just laying on the ground breathing in and out and she find the perfect opportunity to lose her mind in my hair. Nothing relaxing about that.

Still, she's running around the place looking for attention and doing all of the things she knows she shouldn't do because she wants to play so bad. Gotta love her.

In other news, school starts up again this week. Let's play a broken record. I'm really trying to commit my time wisely. Last semester I did really well, but at the expense of some of my social and physical well-being. Balance seeking, always doing it. But, I had a good chunk of time off to evaluate things and try to prioritize them. So, here's to hoping I've figure some things out.

Excited!

Alright - so the chai will have to wait, I feel like writing about other things right now.

I started working at NIU finally, about 3 weeks ago and know that all of the experience I'm going to gain this year is going to be amazing. I am going to be working until I'm tired, I know that. But, I really believe in all the stuff that I am working toward, so it's a lot easier to show up and just grind it out. This also means that whole "over-comitting" thing didn't really work out. But, it's not because I did any more than I said I was going to do as I moved here. I just didn't anticipate how much work it would be to be doing what I am doing.

That being said, I just got a job working on an organic farm helping with serving at weddings. Pretty cool, the  two people I met seem pretty laid back, and I just go the general feeling that it was a laid back place. I'm very excited. They were talking about needing someone to take an assistant position in the interview and I didn't offer up right away because I wasn't sure of my hours. I'm going to check it out and see what they say today about it.

I may be getting bartender certified, so that's pretty cool. This is just another thing off of the jobs I wanted to do before I die list. I don't know why I want to try everything, but I feel so fortunate that I have had the opportunity to do so. This job is seasonal, so I will be back on the hunt in October, but I am happy with what I have...and it should allow me some time during the week to actually do homework! Yay! :)

Environmentally Friendly Homemade Laundry Soap (Detergent)

I know, I've been neglectful. So much for me having time and really sticking to it. One day, maybe. Likely, probably not. But, I will stick to posting here whenever I can. I can do that. :) Last post, you were eagerly awaiting the result of my chai tea and soap escapade. And, I have come to report to you my success! First, let us start with the homemade soap. I will tell you this, I wish I had made the powder version, so I'm going to tell you how to make it that way, then show you how I made the liquid kind and you can choose which you prefer!

For the powder kind, just grate up the bar of soap, and put 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda in a container of your choice. Much easier, so I'm not sure why I put myself through all of this trouble. Also, if you have someone in your house who loves the smell of fresh washed laundry, you can purchase fabric softener crystals and add them to the mix as well. Voila! Pretty smelling and effective soap! I didn't do it, because I was using all environmental products and that pretty smelling stuff isn't. So, if you're going for all natural, just add essential oil. :)

I suggest using about 1-2 tablespoons of it per load. That is a guess, though since I haven't made it before, but it makes sense to me.

Materials:
(2) 1 Gallon Jug, (or whatever other container you have sitting around)
1 Bar of Soap (any kind - but I went for the all natural)
1 Bar of Fels Naptha Soap
1 Box of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1 Box of Borax
1 Grater
1 Wooden Spoon
1 Funnel
1 Large Pot

So, oddly enough, I just happened to have two Jagermeister bottles laying around the house. I promise, they were collected over time. I used them instead of the 1 gallon containers because I thought it would look neat. I would submit that I was right.

Better remove those labels. We don't wanna confuse anyone, that night would end way differently that you expected. ;) Just put a wet rag on top of the labels while you're making the stuff and they should be ready to peel off by the end of it all. Check about half way through to make sure the rag isn't drying out, otherwise you'll have to start over with that part. No big deal if you do.

Grate 2/3 of your regular bar of soap and 1/3 of the Fels Naptha into a bowl. To be honest, the original recipe called for a plain bar of soap - your choice. I choice to do a little of both because I was aiming for the coconut smell that came with the bar of regular soap. I didn't come through in the end, so Fels Naptha might even be good by itself. I might do that next time.

Put 1 gallon of water in the pot with the soap mixture in it at about medium heat and let warm up until all of the soap is melted. Add 1 c. of borax and 1 c. of washing soda, then bring it to a boil. This should make it congeal, sort of. Mine didn't really congeal, but they say it works fine if it doesn't. Add one more gallon of cold water.

Next, use a funnel to pour the mixture into your bottles. I suggest letting it sit for awhile, because the bottles were hot for a period after. Don't worry if the mix ends up looking weird in the bottle over time. Just shake it up before you use it. I use about half a cup of soap per load.

I was thrilled with this because of the pump on the bottle. It makes it easy to put into the wash. It takes about eight pumps, and I have another whole bottle left over to make more!

Guess what the best part is?!
(aside from being eco-awesome, that is)

It was only $11.52 for all of the ingredients, and I could have made 3 more batches. There are 16 cups in a gallon (32 loads per bottle, 64 per batch). 256 loads (4 batches*64 loads per batch) per $12 ish spent. A box of Gain, which washes 150 loads is 20.47 on walmart.com. Granted, the cost will go up if you decide to add the fabric softener crystals. But, it's worth the saving I think. You pay about have for about 66% (I think) more product. Woot!







And...
  

Also, some handy information about more natural stain remover. I love oxi-clean, but I found out that white vinegar is supposed to be a good substitute and it just about a dollar at the store. Pictured on the left is what I used to compare my s stain remover to.  
As you can see, I put a little spaghetti sauce, coffee, and red wine on a scrap piece of cloth and let it sit for about a week. Then, I poured the stain remover on each and let it sit for about 15 minutes before putting them in the wash with the Gain soap. So, it might be slightly skewed, but I didn't want the stain remover to sit on it in unequal amounts of time.

The results were interesting and sort of inconclusive. White vinegar removed the wine stain WAY better than oxi-clean, however you can tell that the coffee and spaghetti stain stuck around more on the white vinegar piece (which is on the left). Oxi-clean turnt he wine stain a purple blue that would definitely make the shirt unwearable. I've seen that you have to do different things with white vinegar depending on the stain, such as use peroxide. Makes sense to me, for the bubbling action. Maybe one day in the future I will try it!

Terrible picture, I know. But, I was in the middle of my move and trying to get everything put away quickly.

Preconceptions...

For the past two months I have been taking a Managerial Communications class for a Masters degree that I will not complete. I completed it due to financial obligations and very much could have put in minimal effort. Instead, and I'm sure you're all surprised, I've done my best and learned quite a lot from class. I'm actually pretty glad that I took the class. 

It's been a very interesting study in human nature for me in some ways, and caused me to be introspective as some points. Tonight concluded the last "story" that needed to be told to the class. Basically, 3 students per class period had to tell a story about someone who mimics their beliefs or tell a story about someone that would impart a moral to the audience. I decided to do a little exercise on first impressions and described three different people based on what they did in the morning, what they wore to work, and where they lived. I gave the class four options for the people's occupations. I only described three people. The options were professor, engineer, fulbright scholar, and grandpa. Grandpa was the dummy answer, but most people thought the person I was describing was my grandpa when he was really an engineer, professor, AND Fulbright Scholar. The moral: don't judge a book by it's cover. 

I was quite proud of the example. But, imagine my surprise when about half of my classmates began to cry when they told their stories. Before going on, I have to tell you that crying is one of my least favorite activities and is something I see as a sign of weakness. It's a harsh reality of mine, and something I once talked to a counselor about. Apparently my views on weakness came from playing football as a child. It makes sense, if you go into it (but I don't feel like going into, not the point of the story). I really don't like to cry in public, which apparently somehow makes me stronger than others. I'm not sure why that is, I think it's a masculine preconception, which would explain the football reference.

In my mind, the assignment was to impart a moral in three minutes or less (oh, and let me tell you they sure did not meet the time limit and greatly exceeded it).

I suppose my view on weakness, is one of my greatest weaknesses, because really - what's wrong with crying? I couldn't tell you, really. Maybe it makes them stronger than me, being able to let the world see that side of them. I would never dare to do that, if I could help it.

When I felt the situation was inappropriate to cry in (i.e. during a story where you could have consciously chosen to talk about something else), I was  repulsed by it, as I did in class those few times. This is where introspection and study of human nature comes into play. Tonight, one of the women told a story about a close friend who had many horrible things happen in her life but always kept a smile on her face (was a counselor on a reservation, divorcee, son committed suicide in front of her, was committed to the hospital for colon cancer and her new husband died two weeks later, then her mother had a heart attack. She passed soon after that.) A very moving story, and surely one that speaks to resilience and the ultimate optimism we are capable of. I would hope to be that positive one day. My classmate choked through the whole thing.

I just have to consider that sense of  "Oh geez, why is she crying? That's gross," that I immediately felt as a reaction, which brings me back to another part of class where I was reminded of a quote that truly resonates with me. "Above all else, to thine own self be true." And this is where I reaffirm my belief that judgement based off of things such as crying in public are not for me to worry about. Or, more simply, for me to pass judgement is not necessary nor noteworthy. My classmate was to thoust own heart being true. Pardon that horrible reference. But seriously, who am I to make any judgement on her for that? I apologize to any I have offended about the crying thing. Don't take it personal, I don't take notes on who cries in public. This was just such an odd situation for me.

Like my uncle says, these are just thoughts while shaving...

Do-It-Yourself Day.

Sometimes, you just gotta leap before you look. You could land anywhere. A pit full of marshmallows, gummi bears, whip-cream. All great things. But then again, you could land in a pit of snakes. You just never know, unless you look before you leap. In the spirit of this post, let's just not do that. I tried things that I've never done before, nor really watched anyone do.

Today was Do-It-Yourself Day in the life of Liz McAllister. I think this should be a holiday (not celebrated in honor of me, of course). Wouldn't that be a fun little holiday to have for yourself once in awhile? Granted, I'd like to celebrate DIY Day every day, but that's just not always possible.

I'm very tired, but I'm very content. Today I made fried chicken, homemade laundry soap, and homemade instant chai tea. Only one of which I've tried out, and it tasted very good. Let's hope the rest of those endeavors were as successful. I'm going to test my soap escapade throughout the week. I've stained some clothing and will try regular soap versus my homemade soap and also some more natural stain remover versus oxi-clean.

That is an escapade to be shared later, upon completion. Tonight, it was fried chicken and boy was that hard. First, I didn't have a real fryer so we used an electric skillet. Have I mentioned that I'm afraid of boiling grease due to a very scarring incident where my sister burned the crap out of her hand with a pot of hot grease while I was a child? I still have a hard time cooking bacon without a pair of 2-foot long tongs. Oddly enough, my sister bakes her bacon now. Needless to say, neither of us came out on the good side of that experience.

Anyway, I'm new to cooking - so why not just jump in before I know how much skill it really takes to do things? I like a challenge. So, I made my way on over to allrecipes.com (my favorite recipe place thus far), and typed in chicken and father's day. Now, this probably won't work for most people, but allrecipes and I have a psychic link and it pulled up fried chicken recipes because it knew that Randy likes fried chicken. Great recipe with 11 spices, score! The more spices the better, I say! ...Sometimes.

Eh, gross.

It goes like this. Just put a cut up chicken into a bowl, and throw these spices over it. Then, cover with buttermilk. I actually have to share that sometimes I don't pay attention and therefore put a teaspoon of everything except for the two peppers. Yea, good thing I remembered to read before then. I ended up with about half a tsp. of cayenne anyway since I'd overdone the other ones and had a bit more chicken than the recipe called for.

Leave sit for 4-6 hours (they call for 6 in the recipe, I say do it if you have the time).

• 
  

3 1/2 lb. ish chicken
1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage

• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Around 2 cups of buttermilk

• 
  

After the alotted period, where I chose to go for a run, make chai tea, and homemade soap, get ready to get real. You can just sit on the couch and read a book, it's probably more relaxing. No matter what you do, after the marinading is completed you must mix the following in a bowl and whisk up (I used the actual measurements this time! Go me!). Coat your chicken. You want to be sure to get it WELL covered because this will be the fried tasty nummy part. 

• 2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

• 2 1/2 quarts peanut oil for frying

It's getting hot in here!

Throw 'em in the pan for frying. It says about 10-15 minutes to cook thoroughly, and it's much closer to 15 or 20 with an electric frying pan. However, your skin might get dark a little quicker than you like. I suggest turning them every 7 minutes or so to cook evenly and let the skin do a little cool and cook. I don't know if that's actually smart, but I'm guilty of messing too much with my food when I cook it. I say, don't be afraid to turn them often.

They'll look much darker than KFC chicken, but they were really good and the cayenne gives it a very nice flavor. The soak in the buttermilk spice mix was also good because it put flavor throughout the chicken too.

This is what was left!

I bet you all are wondering how I could eat such a calorie-laden meal. Or maybe not. But really, I enjoy knowing exactly what goes into my food and putting all of that work in to get it where it is. The fact that it's edible is a plus and the fact that other people liked it = awesome! The Real Recipe. But, pssshhhh, who needs that? ;)

This is another thing that makes me happy. Food.

Which reminds me, I still must try the chai before I bestow it's wonder upon you.