the giraffe life

One of my goals for 2015 was to cook six new recipes with my husband, roughly one every other month. We hosted a big family dinner last weekend (well, large for us - twelve guests) and decided to give tiramisu a whirl. I find family parties a great time for a dessert trial run - I get honest opinions and there are plenty of people to share with so I don't end up eating 86 cookies by myself. We used the recipe from  Chop, Sizzle, Wow   because it was the most straightforward one I found. There are plenty of super complicated ones that estimate it'll take you eight hours start to finish. Hmm, no thanks!  Regardless, everyone was impressed (I think they had that eight hour extravaganza in mind) and kept saying things like, "It tastes like regular tiramisu!" which made me laugh. And I have a newfound respect for restaurant presentation - this was the best I could do! Would you cook a new dish for guests? I know some people only make their tried-and-true f

2015! It feels like a good, round number for some reason. I'm excited to share my goals for this year - a couple familiar carry overs and some new ones. Financial   • Save $300 per pay - Continued from last year . And to make it easier, I'm having it automatically deducted from my paychecks.  Personal   • Attend more than 67 yoga classes - Super random number, right? Last year I attended about 67 yoga classes (can't be 100% sure because I didn't start keeping track until late July) so I just want to beat my previous record. I'm going to use this daily goal calendar  - black Xs on days I do any kind of exercise (probably a walk), purple Xs for yoga, and left blank for no exercise. This method is quick and very visual so I think it'll work for me.  from the make29 shop • Read 52 books - A book a week (or so). Aiming for 50 books pushes me to make reading a priority without pressuring me to choose short books to inflate my numbers. So I just

Time for one of my favorite posts - best books of the year! And just to be clear, these are my favorite books that I read in 2014,   not   books published in 2014. Links take you to the book's page on goodreads. My top 5 in no particular order: The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld -  A heartbreaking story of the Lady, a death row inmate, and a priest. E asily one of the best books I've ever read, and it will d efinitely make you think! Be warned - it contains dark subject matter. I could only read in small portions. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt - It's the story of June, who loses her Uncle Finn to AIDS, and the strange man she first notices at his funeral. But it's also the story of June and her sister Greta, the pains of growing up, and what it means to love someone. Beautiful writing and a story that will stay with you for a while. Something Real by Heather Demetrios - This one's about Bonnie™/Chloe Baker, a 17 year old who doesn