The best spicy pickles everrr.

If you know anything about me, you probably know I love pickles.
They are definitely one of my favorite foods. My amazing mother helped me can some this year, and let me tell you:
THEY ARE THE BEST PICKLES EVERRR!!!
Here is our recipe:
BRINE:
2 Quarts water
2 Cup vinegar
1/2 Cup pickling salt
1/2 to 1 T alum
- Boil until salt dissolves

Stuff one quart jars with:
Pickling cucumbers [we get ours from Okubo's]
dill weed
1 jalapeno sliced
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp black peppercorn
5 to 10 mustard seeds
pinch of red pepper flakes
(We added 1/2 habanero for extra spice)

Before you start scrubbing, make sure you have some clean mason jars, and brand new sealing lid disks. We load our dishwasher with our clean mason jars and run it on a HOT wash, with a HOT dry. You want your jars pretty warm when you are stuffing them.

Make sure to scrub all your cukes and peppers really well.

We sliced our cukes in quarters, but you can honestly do whatever you prefer. We also sliced our jalapeno in half, but left our hot pepper whole.

Before you start stuffing, put your new lid disks into water on the stove. You want them to be pretty hot, but not necessarily boiling. Stuff your jars with dry ingredients first, and then full of your cukes. You want a little room at the top. Pour your hot brine over your pickles, and wipe the rim of the jar with a dry towel. Place a hot disk on top and screw it tightly with your screwband. Your pickles are ready to be sealed.

To seal your jars, it is best if you have canner pan, but a large, deep pan with a thicker bottom should do. These jars below were done with a thinner bottom pan and they broke due to too much heat. You want the water boiling, and allow them to be fully submerged in the water for about 10 minutes.
This is a great reference website for canning pickles.

Check your jars to make sure the lid does not move when you push on it, if it does move, try boiling them again. Once you have them all sealed, allow them to cool for up to 24 hours and then place them somewhere dark and cool.
Pickles will be ready to eat in three weeks, and should last for at least a year (if you don't eat them all by then ;). Refrigerate after opening.

If you need any help, please comment below.

Juicy :)

My Mom and I have been on a green juice kick as of late. I highly recommend it! All of our juices have turned out surprisingly tasty [Not to mention, extremely good for you].

We fill our mason jars and drink half [of a quart sized jar**] daily.
One daily serving size is the juice from this: 

four carrots,

four stalks of celery,

half of a beet,

one lemon,

half a cucumber,

a thumb nail of ginger root,

one and a half granny smith apples,

and four to five handfuls of spinach.

**UPDATE: We've researched into it losing it nutritional value if you do it for a few days at a time. The best way to do it, is in a jar, but you need to fill it all the way to the top, and screw it tight. When you open it, you need to drink the whole thing at a time so it doesn't have a lot of time to oxidize and lose it's nutrients. We have not changed our recipe just the size of our jars. We now use pint size jars as one whole serving. :) Freeze to last longer.

(Shake before you drink!)

#blessings.

Today I am extra thankful for:
1. Good health.
2. The internet. I believe it is more a blessing than a curse.
3. My youth. I wish I could be forever young, but in reality aging is one thing everyone goes through. So I'm going to live it up while I still can. :):)

#blessings.

Today I am really, especially thankful for my best friend Jenny. It's her birthday [and exactly my half birthday]. 

We've shared some awesome experiences and adventures together and throughout all these years we have stayed so close!

I appreciate her and look up to her more than she'll ever know.

She understands me better than anyone else (and even translated for me in nursery;). She makes me laugh harder than anyone I have ever met. She's my favorite person to hang out with all day, any day. She is one of the most genuine, creative, sweetest, prettiest, most spoiled girl I have ever met. She has the most awesome personality too. I am so excited I get to be a part of her life as she graduates this year, and marries her [other] soul-mate. She is such an amazing example to me, and I don't know what I would do without her.

& have I mentioned she is beyond amazing with a paint brush?

#blessings.

Three things I am very much thankful for today:
1. Music, especially musicians. Since I have started learning the guitar it has made me realize there is so much more to it than I ever knew. I am so happy there are creative people in this world that have it figured out. I will understand it some day, but for now my appreciation grows on the daily.
2. Having so many guitars around the house I am able to learn and play on. It is not a cheap hobby! I'm thankful for the opportunity to learn, and for my guitar teachers patience.
3. Concerts. It is one thing to listen to your head phones, or while driving in your car. It's entirely another to feel it throughout your body. #IloveLiveMusic. I am very blessed to have been to some amazing concerts through the years.

#blessings.

Three things I am thankful for today:
1. pizza sauce.
2. avocados.
3. pickles.

#blessings.

Three things I am thankful for today:
1. Hot baths.
2. Exercise.
3. Tomorrows.

#blessings.

Today I'm very thankful for:

1. My grandparents! I'm very blessed to have them in my life for so long. They are wonderful people and great examples for me. Not to mention my Grandma is the best cook! Another reason Sundays rock!

2. Four seasons! As much as I wish it was always summer, it's pretty cool we get to see our earth physically change. It's beautiful on so many levels.

3. Electricity. We truly live a good life..

#blessings.

Three things I'm thankful for today:

1. Green lights. 

2. Headlights.

3. City lights!

#blessings.

Three things I'm [extra] thankful for today:

1. Oreo malt milkshakes.. sometimes you just need one.
2. My guitar teacher [especially his faith, and his patience.]
3. [clean] Water. It's definitely my favorite element.

#blessings.

Three things I am thankful for today:

1. Being canceled from work a little early. [Free time-- What is this??]
2. YouTube. For so many reasons, but today mostly for homework help.
3. Delicious and nutritious food. [& stellar company of course.]

#Blessings.

Today I'm [extra] thankful for:

1. A hot shower & clean water.

2. My job. [especially my days off.]

3. Mason jars. I'm a little obsessed.. 

#Blessings.

Three things I am thankful for today: [in no particular order]
1. My Mommy. I can't thank her enough! For the good life, for her friendship, and for making me who I am today.
2. My iPhone. [first world problems]. This thing literately is my life-line, if not my life. #sadbuttrue.
3. Having a warm place to sleep. It's amazing how much we take for granted in this world.

Here is to a healthy week..

Some fresh green [+beet] juice, celery soup & some sassy water. 

Dear this week: #BRINGIT
I'm ready to look good and feel good. (:

#Blessings.

In an effort to blog more, I am going to attempt the trendy

"Three Things I'm Thankful For" every day until Thanksgiving. 

Wish me luck.

Three things I am thankful for today:
1. Sundays, the best day of the week, for so many reasons.
2. Great souls I can truly call my best friends.
3. Yoga pants. (& nice asses. ;)

Life changes so fast.

Life changes so much so fast, yet it seems to stays the same.
I am at work-- blogging instead of doing my homework.
I am still loving my job in Labor and Delivery.
I am still living at home, and loving it.
I am still in school, and still over it.
I still don't want to ever grow up, but I have at least been thinking about it a little more lately..

But..
I am stoked to say: I fell hard for a boy.
I met him the night of August 24th, It's been intense since then.
Even better than the fairytale movies.
I don’t know where he came from, and how we haven’t met before... but the timing could not have been more perfect for either one of us.
I’m still trying to catch my breath. I know, so cheesy and cliché, right?

Anyway, I just wanted to give you a little update, I'm very much alive and kicking.
I know I always say this, but I do intend to blog more.. (believe it when you see it)
If you are into love stories, I started a silly little blog about our adventures together.
Stay tuned until next time fellow stalkers.
Peace, love & bits of sunshine from my life to yours.