Beauty in a Happy Meal

Happy!

How great is a McDonald's Happy Meal? They're the best. Food and a toy? Yes, please. Remember when we were kids, and all we wanted was a Happy Meal? It was the ultimate reward. My mom, sister, and I quite often indulge in the Golden Arches' greatest treasure. We were low on funds today, and needed to eat. The perfect solution? A Happy Meal! Not too much food at a great price, and I've got a new Smurf toy to boot! Awesome!

How can you be sad with these little guys around?

I've got about five of them. They're surprisingly good quality for kid's meal toys. They're also super fun. How many people do you know have five Smurfs in their purse? Ha! But, I digress... The point of this post is to tell you all how happy a Happy Meal makes me. For only a small fee, I get a well proportioned meal, and a new friend. I can't tell you how many little Happy Meal prizes are in my car. My glove box hardly closes it's so full of tiny toys. But, you know what? If I'm bored sitting in a doctor's office, or need some laughs in the car, these bad boys never let me down. I've got Pokemons, Batmans, Strawberry Shortcakes... The list goes on. And they were all accompanied by delicious fries! Such a beautiful combination.

I highly suggest all of you pick up a Happy Meal or two in the very near future. You won't regret it. Bring some of your childhood back. Enjoy not overeating, and getting a present. Happy Meals are a win!

Beauty in Books on Stairs

Beautiful, no?

There is something so lovely about books on stairs. I absolutely love when staircases have to double as bookshelves. It says so much about a person and their home. When I find books lounging between railings I know I'm with kindred spirits. I see stories so important they need to be within arms reach, not on the shelf. These books are family.

When one has the need for books to rest on stairs, they understand life. They know what's important. Tidying up for company is not a priority. Reading is a priority. Learning is at the top of the list. The people within the books matter more than a clutter free stairway. If my books need to be on the stairs, it's because I need those people. I need them accessible, I need them close. They're a part of me. A part of my very soul. And, to put them away? I couldn't bear it. You may as well ask me to put my heart on the shelf.

Beauty in Video Games

By no means am I a hardcore "gamer", however I do enjoy a day or two filled with nothing but bad soda and video games. While many find this unproductive, I am inclined to argue it's quite the contrary. Sure I'm sitting in the same position for hours on end, but my mind is on overdrive. I'm challenging my intellect, problem solving, and free of the real world.

My preferred platform

I think video games have a lot to teach us. How many times have you reached a level, or a boss, and you just don't think you'll beat it? It's too hard. Too complicated. But, you keep going. You retry, and retry, and retry... then all of sudden, you've done it. You conquered the unconquerable! Was it a fluke? A mistake? (Don't ask questions! Just run!) Nope, you really did it. You didn't give up, and you won. That moment always makes me smile. It gives one such a feeling of accomplishment. What do we learn? Persistence pays off.

This is where it all began...

I'll never forget the first time I beat the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Is it cliche to say it changed my life forever? Link is one of my most favorite characters. Not only courageous, but always willing to lend a helping hand.

Being partial to the RPG (Role Playing Game) style of video games, I'm always impressed with the ways in which I have to use my brain. I'm not a big fan of having to solve problems in real life, but in a game I'm more than willing to be resourceful, and think outside the box. Plus, I get a sword. Who wouldn't want that?

What's more fun than beating your friends?

We've also got combat games! I can not tell you the amount of memories I have from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Duking it out with your friends not only brings the laughs, it creates unforgettable moments. Video games: bringing people together since the late 70's! Few things are better than when you get in a particularly hilarious hit, and soda comes out your nose. It's difficult to have a care in the world when you're laughing so hard you can't breathe.

I would love to be friends with her in real life

For the past two days I've been glued to this game. I've always been a fan of Lara Croft. She's brave, smart, and into archaeology. How can you go wrong?! I know it's a slightly older game, but it's fun level remains high. I just love running through the Louvre, and kicking butt in the Parisian ghetto. A good time!

All in all, video games not only bring me joy, they help me feel a little smarter. They give me memories I will keep with me for the rest of my days. I get a chance to live in a fantasy land and remember that sometimes... you just have to try once more. My video games make me happy. And, happy is beautiful.

What's Cooking Wednesday?

Yes. I am quite aware that it is Saturday. But, I'm not one who does things the "normal" way. There isn't much fun in that. Also, my internet was out.

On to my kitchen experiment...

I traveled most of the day, and needed something which didn't require a grocery store visit, and could be done in about fifteen minutes. In the freezer, I found these bad boys:

I cannot recommend these enough

I also had a lovely can of cherry pie filling. Now, I know it was borderline cheating, but I put my hands together and made little cherry tart-like creations. And, I'll tell you what, they were some of the tastiest things I've ever concocted! Absolutely divine. All of them were gone in about twenty minutes.

And so simple! You just thaw the puff pastry, cut it to the size you want, add the pie filling, and pinch it closed. Bam! You're done. Bake it and you've got yourself the easiest, yummiest, tartlets in all the land. I slit tiny lines in the top, because they always look like that in Disney movies, which made them so pretty. I'm a firm believer that when something is pretty, it tastes better. Presentation is very important.

I'll be repeating this recipe as soon as I can get my hands on more of that puff pastry. So delicious. And, be sure to sprinkle a little sugar on them too, before you put them in the oven. That way, they sparkle. Who doesn't want their food to sparkle?!

Finding something so wonderful and so simple really made my week. My family enjoyed them, and they quickly brought some delight into our hectic day. Oh! I just thought of how great they'd be with tea!

Beauty in Dirty Laundry

I'm not the biggest fan of doing laundry. It nears the top of my "chores I hate to do" list. I mean, the sorting, the loading, the transferring, the hanging, the folding... When does it all end?! I could try to make it easier, and do it more often. However, I find myself doing something I hate frequently. So I put it off, and wait. And wait. Now my pile is a dirty laundry mountain. I end up spending two days doing nothing but washing clothes. I can't win! There's no justice in the laundry world, I tell you!!

It's frightening how accurate this is...

Well, today was the dreaded laundry day. I was running out of stuff to wear (that's usually when I finally bite the bullet). Wash, wash, wash. All day long. From the washer to the dryer time and time again. Sort, fold, hang. Repeat.

I can see their logic.

But now... I sit back and survey all of the hard (really not hard, I'm just a baby) work. And do you know what I realize? I have a lot of clothes. Warm clothes, cool clothes, fun clothes. Loads of things to wear. They're soft and they smell good.

There are many people who don't have this luxury. Some have to wash clothes without a washer or dryer. Others don't get to wash them at all.

Every laundry day that comes around, I roll my eyes at the amount of items that need cleaning. But, when all is said and done, I take a moment and reflect on what a blessing it is to have so much dirty laundry. I'm grateful for every dirty sock I own. I'm a fortunate person to have so many things to wear, and I'm very thankful that I have the opportunity to wash them.

Thank you, dirty laundry, for being a part of my life... and for being so beautiful.

What's Cooking Wednesday?

I've recently started a new habit of cooking and/or baking something new on Wednesdays. And, while today's project didn't turn out awesome, I feel the need to share the experience anyway. I chose something, for normal people, that would be rather simple. However, I forgot how often I have problems in the kitchen. I'm really not very good. A number of factors contribute to my lack of culinary skill... lack of training, laziness, being too easily distracted... I could go on. Also, I have an uncanny ability to burn myself when cooking. If it's possible, it'll happen. But, I digress... Today's recipe was Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies.

Awesome!

I found the recipe here at Picky Palate. I encourage all of you to check it out. You won't regret it.

Now. Being a simple recipe, I figured I couldn't go wrong. Well, I could. And, I did. Remember the easily distracted problem I mentioned? Whilst mixing, I completely forgot about the "add two eggs" direction. Yeah... whoops. So, I'm mixing along, happy as a clam, and I'm noticing the consistency of my dough is rather dry. Too dry. So I think to myself, "Kim... you didn't really measure the butter super carefully, you probably don't have enough. Let's add a tad more, just to be safe".

Probably shouldn't have done that.

I did, though. It worked too! Until I remembered what I forgot. >Insert self loathing eye roll here< What do I do now?! I shrug my shoulders and add the eggs anyway. They'll be fine, right? In the oven they go.

No. No, no, and no. My cookies are flat, except where the Oreo is, and the edges are much too crispy. Very sad. Very sad indeed. Quite the cookie catastrophe. I haven't tried to eat one yet. I'm saving that adventure for tomorrow. Don't want to pack it all into one day. I'm sure they taste fine, they're just not that pretty. Very aesthetically unpleasing.

Oh, well. I tried. I may have failed, but I gave it a go. That in itself is a victory. Hopefully next week's challenge will be less... challenging.

Beauty in a Blog

Alright! A brand spanking new blog. How exciting!

I'd like to, if I may, introduce everyone to this little project. I've recently been through a few events in my life which lead me to question my faith in values, humanity, and the world itself. I felt hopeless. Ugly. Deciding I needed to find beauty again, I started growing flowers. It's important to understand I'm not an impressive gardener. My thumb is not green (which is quite sad, for that's my favorite color). Needless to say, many of the plants did not survive. However! Some of them did, and I love them. Here I was, having a horrid time trying to keep my chin up, and right in front of me was life. Beautiful life. So, I got to thinking... Is there more of this inspiration to be found? Can I seek out hope in other everyday occurrences?

Yes. I can. And, I will. Right here on this blog I'm going to document my findings. Curiosity is my new partner in crime. I think the above quote (photo found here) sums it up nicely:

Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

-Walt Disney

So, here I am. Being curious and searching relentlessly for beauty. Through thoughts, I'll find my hope. And when I do, I'm going to share it with the world.

Enjoy...