Last Chance!!

Last chance to enter my "celebrate my 100th post" giveaway! Any comments left after midnight, Pacific Time, tonight, Jan 31, 2012, will not be entered in the drawing, so what are you waiting for???

 Here's a little sneak preview of your prize, in progress. 

Studio assistant not included. 

Once again, here are the details:

Celebration of 100th post giveaway! 

Comment one time per post on any post (even old ones) between now and January 31st, 2012. 

Each comment good for one entry. 

Give me a shout out on whatever other social media you use and I'll enter your name an extra three times. (Send me the link!)

I will do a random drawing of all entries on February 1st and post the winner's name, address, birthdate, and social security  number...just kidding! I'll post your first name.

 Please make sure I can contact you by email as well, so I can let you know if you win and get your mailing address to send your prize! 

Open to all, including international. 

So set off the fireworks, start the music and let the party begin! I've done over 100 posts...yay!!!!

......What? No fireworks? 

If you aren't going to bring fireworks, at least would you bring cake? 

Happy Things on Your Monday

This is a happy thing: a dog who drinks  Starbucks.
(via) 

(Win something! Handmade by me! Go here!) 

In lieu of my regularly scheduled post, I bring you this: Happy Things. 

If you click on any of the pictures in the link you should be redirected to the original sites. 

A Recipe That Will Make You Popular Because We All Know How Important It Is to Be Popular

(Click here for the giveaway!)

The other day I posted a picture of  a Caramel Apple Cheesecake bar. Today, you are in luck because I'm giving you the recipe for this divine, delectable, delicious, deliriously decadent dessert. (Did you like all that alliteration? It's true...every word.) I get requests for this every time we have a potluck. If you take this to a potluck you will instantly become the most popular person there. 

Those of us who are "popularity challenged" need all the help we can get!

Just kidding. 

But it will make you popular!

I'll post the picture again, just to make sure you get the full view. 

(via)

The recipe I used is here, but I'll repost it for you because I like to make your life easier like that! ;-) 

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped (I use whatever apples I have on hand)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel topping, recipe follows

1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

I don't have a print friendly version of this recipe so if you want to copy and paste it into your own document you can print it that way. Eventually I'll figure out how to do give you a print friendly option. 

The other morning....

(Click here for the giveaway!)

....when I went out early this was the view across the parking lot where we live:

Normally it looks like this:

At least it didn't look like this! 

(via)

Fog covering the Bay with only the tip of the tower of the Golden Gate Bridge visible.

The fog is beautiful and all, and I absolutely love living here in Nor-cal and wouldn't change a thing, but really, I'm a desert rat at my root level. I guess you can take the girl out of the Arizona-Sonoran desert but you can take the Sonoran desert out of her. 

(via)

  

Sunrise at Saguaro National Park near Tucson.

Pursuing the Dream

(Go here for the giveaway!)

Goals.

Dreams.

What's the difference? I've been thinking about that lately.

For example,

if I am sitting with my fork sunk into a piece of this

(find this image here)

while I'm talking about losing weight, then I do not have a goal of weight loss. 

I have a dream. 

Or if I say that I am going to hike the Inca Trail to see this

   (find this image here)

while I'm sitting on the couch day in and day out, I do not have a goal to hike Machu Picchu. 

I have a dream. 

But if I'm doing a lot of this

  (find this image here)

and this 

(find the image here)

Oops! Where did you come from???? You're cute but you don't really demonstrate the type of workout I'm looking for.  Looks like you need to a few more reps, dude. 

I mean this

(find the image here)

and some of this

(find the image here)

then I have goals. 

Goals to not only lose weight, but to hike the Inca Trail without having to be carried down in a body bag. 

Dreams and goals are both good, but let's understand that they are not the same thing. Dreams are thoughts and ideas. Dreams can inspire and motivate us, but to truly pursue them, to turn them into goals and make them reality, we need to put feet on them and take them beyond being merely wishes and turn them into decisions. Lay the groundwork, do the research, learn, take 

steps to actually make them happen. We need to take action, to do something, or we will wake up one morning realizing that we had lots of good intentions but no accomplishments. What's there to be proud of in that?