year of kindness challenge: week 34

Posted on August 26, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Monday, everyone! I’m writing to you from my new home in northern California. Here’s a pic my dad snapped right before I hit the road:

I’m getting settled in and enjoying a lot of time with my wonderful relatives, including my cute cousin Bianca who I have a feeling is going to become my baking buddy this year. Woo! I’m so excited to have someone to bake with. 🙂

This past week’s kindness challenge was to donate school supplies to local children who need them. I donated these notebooks and markers to a school supply drive in my community that I found with a quick internet search.

The Week 34 Kindness Challenge is to buy a sandwich and drink and give it to a homeless person you pass by on your way home. Another option: if you go out to dinner, box up your leftovers and give them to a homeless person.

As always, blog about your experiences and include your links in the comments section below, or feel free to send me an email at dallaswoodburn <AT> gmail <DOT> com.

Have a marvelous day!
– Dallas

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year of kindness archives:
– week 1 challenge: donate items to those in need
– week 2 challenge: leave quarters & note at laundry machine
– week 3 challenge: write & send a kind handwritten note
– week 4 challenge: give hot chocolate to someone outside in the cold
– week 5 challenge: do something kind for a neighbor
– week 6 challenge: deliver valentines to a nursing home
– week 7 challenge: donate to a food pantry
– week 8 challenge: donate toiletries to a shelter
– week 9 challenge: post a kind note in a public place
– week 10 challenge: do something kind for a child
– week 11 challenge: thank someone in a genuine & meaningful way
– week 12 challenge: deliver baked goods to a fire station
– week 13 challenge: give someone flowers
– week 14 challenge: donate books
– week 15 challenge: reach out and spend time with people
– week 16 challenge: smile at everyone you meet
– week 17 challenge: pick up litter/trash
– week 18 challenge: write a kind note to a mom figure in your life
– week 19 challenge: leave an extra-generous tip
– week 20 challenge: donate blood/join bone marrow registry
– week 21 challenge: visit a cemetery and pay respect
– week 22 challenge: practice a little patience
– week 23 challenge: call 3 loved ones on the phone
– week 24 challenge: do something kind for a senior citizen
– week 25 challenge: pay for someone’s public transportation
– week 26 challenge: volunteer at a food pantry or soup kitchen
– week 27 challenge: send a care package to someone in the military
– week 28 challenge: give at least one compliment every day
– week 29 challenge: do a favor for someone else
– week 30 challenge: scatter lucky pennies around a playground
– week 31 challenge: mail an empowering postcard
– week 32 challenge: plant something
– week 33 challenge: donate school supplies

recap of my clutter-busting summer!

Posted on August 23, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Friday, friends!

This summer — inspired by the Clutter-Busting Challenge hosted this past May by Crystal at Money-Saving Mom, and the amazing Victoria at Snail-Paced Transformations who is continuing to give away, get rid of, or sell 3 things from her home every week this year — I have been on a mission.

My goal: get things out of my house that I no longer need or use, and get them into the hands of people who do need or could use them.

It’s amazing how much STUFF we accumulate, right?? I am not even the biggest shopper, and still I am just floored by the amount of THINGS I manage to bring into my life and into my space. Books, clothes, magazines, papers, flyers, do-dads, mementos, knick-knacks … where do they even come from??

In regards to clutter, this summer has been a perfect storm of sorts. I moved back home into my childhood bedroom, which was still crammed with stuff from high school and from the year I lived at home after graduating college. Plus, I brought home boxes of new stuff I’d accumulated while living in Indiana.

I was determined to slowly sort through everything through the course of the summer and get rid of as much as possible before moving up the Bay Area to begin my Steinbeck Fellowship. Also, as longtime blog readers know, I really don’t like to waste things, not even uber-ribe bananas. So if an item was useful, I didn’t want to just throw it away — my goal was to repurpose or donate as many items as possible!

Three months later, I’m happy to report my room is much cleaner and less cluttered, and I’m feeling more energized as a result! Here is a list of all the things I got rid of this summer, including how I repurposed some items:

3 boxes of books: donated to the local library and the Boys & Girls Club
approx. 40 back issues of various magazines: donated to local senior centers and hospitals {just make sure to tear off the address label and any other personal info before donating!}
2 large bags of clothing, including my heavy winter coat and a bunch of scarves: donated to Goodwill
3 lovely little girls dresses, still in great condition, from when I was a little girl: also donated to Goodwill
4 pairs of shoes I never wear: donated to Goodwill
2 large fleece Snuggies that were not being used: repurposed into two handmade no-sew baby blankets for two friends of mine who each welcomed beautiful babies into their families recently
2 outgrown T-shirts: transformed into diy pillows
10 small hotel shampoos and soaps: donated to a local homeless shelter
1 no-longer-used cellphone: donated to a soldier through Cell Phones for Soldiers.
3 large trash bags full of old papers no longer needed: recycled

WOO-HOO! It feels so wonderful to de-clutter! Not only did I physically get rid of a ton of items, I feel like the act of clearing and sorting and donating was emotionally cleansing as well.

This task was an amazing reminder of what a difference you can make little by little, day by day … I never imagined at the beginning of the summer that I would be able to get rid of so much unnecessary stuff, but slowly and surely I did!

What goals have you been working on this summer? Any fellow clutter-busters out there? I’d love to hear your tips for STAYING de-cluttered — my next task! 🙂

some related posts you might enjoy:
– cleaning out my closet clutter
– tips for selling things on craigslist
– year of kindness challenge: donating clothes
– year of kindness challenge: donating books
– year of kindness challenge: donating toiletries

mt. whitney wednesday: the big day begins!

Posted on August 21, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Hi everyone! This post is part of my Mt. Whitney chronicles, which is comprised of journal entries from when I climbed Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, ten years ago. If you missed any earlier posts in the series, they are all archived here.

Saturday, July 26, 3:52 a.m.

My alarm went off at 2:30 this morning. I don’t think I have ever woken up this early in my entire life, yet I was surprised to find I wasn’t really that tired. Nervous energy and adrenaline pumped through my veins as I pulled on my hiking boots and shouldered my backpack filled with enough water to get a camel across the Sahara.

I took one last look at the warm hotel room before closing the door behind me and following Mom down the darkened corridor. I wonder if I will return triumphant and proud, or despondent and defeated by the mountain? I tell myself it will be the former!

We met Stacey and some of the others in our climbing party at the hotel where they were staying. As we huddled in front of the cars in the parking lot, waiting while a few of them did a final check to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything, I was reminded of a group of teenage girls preparing to go TP-ing on a slumber party night: nervous, excited, and taking a little breathless comfort in the thought that, whatever happens, we are all in this together.

We drove up to the Whitney Portal in a small caravan of cars. The road is uncomfortably narrow, so it is reassuring to have another car in front of you to follow. It is so pitch black outside once you leave the few lights of Lone Pine behind. Driving along and looking up at the mountain we are about to climb, with the twinkling stars the only light in the sky, and our feeble headlights only illuminating a small section of the ground ahead, I have never felt so small and yet so big, so alone and yet so connected, so wise and yet so utterly clueless, all at the same time.

We parked and headed up to the trailhead. Most of the stars are blocked out by the towering mountain and the surrounding trees, and it is so dark I literally cannot see my hand in front of my face. It is cold, too; biting cold, and I’m glad for my fleece gloves and warm wool beanie. Mom helps me put my headlamp on, which is basically a flashlight mounted to a headband. When she bought it a month ago at one of the hiking stores I thought it was one of the silliest, dorkiest things I had ever seen, but now I’m grateful for the steady beam of light it provides, revealing the trail ahead.

We start out, talking softly and stepping quickly, full of energy, excitement and nervousness. If I turn and look behind me, the steady line of my teammate hikers, each with a headlamp firmly positioned on her forehead, looks oddly like a group of miners. It makes me think of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs.

“Hi ho, hi ho! It’s off to the peak of Mount Whitney we go!” We slip through the silent night, a flurry of boots and beams of light. The woods behind us are quiet, and the mountain ahead is darker than the back side of the moon.

A group shot a couple hours into the hike, once the sun has risen.

year of kindness challenge: week 33

Posted on August 19, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Hi everyone! Happy Monday! Let’s have a marvelous start to the week! 🙂

Here is a terrific article that I came across this week about happiness: http://blog.bufferapp.com/10-scientifically-proven-ways-to-make-yourself-happier. I noticed that much of the advice has to do with being kind, being grateful, and feeling connected to others — all things that I have grown in my life over the course of doing this kindness challenge!

Last week’s kindness challenge was to plant something. I planted flowers in the long-dormant pots on the front porch as a surprise to my lovely Mama. She was so happy!

Since it’s back-to-school time {already! can you believe it??} this week’s kindness challenge is to donate school supplies to local children who need them. Many communities have school supply drives, or you could donate via organizations like the Boys & Girls Club. Better yet, host your own school supply drive and partner with a local school or classroom to make sure the supplies get to those who need them most!

As always, blog about your experiences and include your links in the comments section below, or feel free to send me an email at dallaswoodburn <AT> gmail <DOT> com.

Have a wonderful week!
Dallas

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goals + meal-plan for the week of 8/18

Posted on August 18, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Happy Sunday, friends! Wow, I can’t believe it is already mid-August! There’s a part of me that wants to hold onto summer as long as possible, and there’s another part of me that has that pre-autumn excitement in my belly! {I LOVE autumn!} The excitement might also be due to the fact that I’m moving in less than a week!! Yep, on Friday I will be driving my little prius up to the bay. This week has already had some “lasts” of the summer: my last Friday volunteering at the Food Pantry; my last Friday Happy Hour margaritas with my parents; and this morning was my last sermon at my amazing hometown church until I’m home for Thanksgiving. Sadness, but also gratitude for the memories and joy for new adventures about to begin!

Of course will miss my family & this little guy a TON!

Here’s how I did on my goals from this past week:
– ~~finish rough edits on first half of YA manuscript draft~~
– ~~complete the #yearofkindness challenge~~
– ~~get together with two friends~~
– ~~create a flyer advertising my tutoring services~~
– clean out my email inbox {I’ll consider this one half-done}
– ~~volunteer at the Food Pantry~~
– ~~work-out/do yoga at least three times~~

And here are my goals for this upcoming week:
– complete the #yearofkindness challenge
– visit with three friends before I leave
– finish cleaning out my email inbox
– tie up any lose ends at home before I leave
– work-out/do yoga at least three times {including my Weds. zumba date with Emily!}
– have a safe & successful move up to the Bay Area!

Here are some recipes I’m looking forward to making this week:
– rad rainbow raw pad thai via Oh She Glows
– veggie-filled gluten-free lasagna via A Happy Lass
– peanut butter chocolate granola via It’s Progression {perfect road-trip snack!}
– lemon bars for my Gramps
– shrimp & sausage stew

What are your goals and menu plans for this upcoming week?

This post is linked up with Menu-Plan Monday!

shrimp + sausage stew

Posted on August 16, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Before I leave for my new adventure up north, I asked my mom to teach me how to make one of my favorite dishes of hers: shrimp + sausage stew! This soup is healthy, hearty, veggie-filled, and light enough that it works as well for dinner in the summer as it does in the winter. And turns out it’s not as tough to make as I would have guessed! Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!

my mom’s shrimp + sausage stew
– 2 tbsp olive oil
– 1 lb potatoes {my mom uses Yukon golds}
– 3 carrots
– 2 tsp minced garlic
– 1 medium onion
– 1 pkg {approx. 4-5 links} Italian-style chicken sausage
– 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
– 2 tbsp flour
– 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
– 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
– 1/2 cup chopped parsley

1. Scrub the potatoes. Peel the carrots. Thinly slice the potatoes, carrots and onions. {According to my mom, this is the most intensive step of the entire recipe!}

2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil and saute the minced garlic, potatoes, onions and carrots. Season with cayenne, salt and pepper to your own taste. {Side note: your kitchen will smell AMAZING!}

3. Cook potato mixture for 15-18 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp-tender. You might have to keep stirring fairly frequently to ensure the mixture doesn’t stick to the pan. {If needed, you can always add a little water or chicken broth to unstick.}

4. In a separate pan, cook the sausage over medium heat, turning occasionally so it doesn’t burn. Once the sausage is fully cooked, remove from pan and allow to cool on a paper towel before slicing.

5. Sprinkle flour over potato-and-veggie mixture. Add chicken broth and sausage. Bring to a boil.

6. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 5-8 more minutes.

7. If needed, clean and de-vein the shrimp!

8. Add shrimp, cover and simmer 3-4 more minutes, until the shrimp are pink. {Mom’s tip: be careful not to overcook the shrimp!}

9. Top with chopped parsley and serve. Ta da!

Optional: In my house, we love to serve this stew with freshly baked corn muffins! Yum!

Hope your weekend is filled with rest, relaxation, sunshine, and of course delicious eats! 🙂

What do you have on tap for this weekend?

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if you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:
– potato, sausage & veggie bake
– california white chicken chili & corn muffins
– blended cauliflower and potato soup

why I make my bed every morning

Posted on August 15, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

I’ll be honest: making my bed used to be one of my least favorite chores. The three minutes it took to pull up the sheets, smooth the blankets and fluff the pillows seemed like a waste of time. After all, I would just mess it all up in a matter of hours when I climbed into bed that night. Also my mornings used to be so rushed that I typically wouldn’t even have three minutes to spare to make my bed. {Embarrassing, I know, but it’s the truth!}

This summer, I’ve been focusing on simplifying my life and developing healthy practices that help me slow down and enjoy this beautiful life. I’ve started doing yoga and meditating daily, drinking more smoothies, volunteering at the food pantry, and I’ve even tried out fun new exercise options like zumba!

One of the simplest things I’ve started doing every morning is — you guessed it — making my bed. I’ve realized that far from being a waste of time, it helps set a positive, productive tone for my entire day. Making my bed makes me feel organized and in charge and ready to leap into my day with a smile. Plus, this little guy likes to nap on my neatly made bed, and who could say no to that face??

Waking up a few minutes earlier and having a slower, more relaxed tone to the start of my day has made a world of difference! I feel calmer, more energized, and less frazzled. Making my bed is a big part of my new morning routine!

Do you make your bed every morning? What is your morning routine?

mt. whitney wednesday: the day before “the big day”

Posted on August 14, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Friday, July 25, 2003. 2:43 p.m.
Mom and I left our nice, warm home in Ventura at 10 a.m. to depart on the four-hour drive to the quaint little town of Lone Pine, made famous in the hiking world because of its close proximity to Mt. Whitney. Surprisingly, it seems most Lone-Piners take for granted the tallest mountain in the continental United States that watches over their little town. They take more pride in the fact that John Wayne used to film some of his famous Westerns here. There are pictures of The Duke adorning the walls of just about every restaurant and hotel lobby we see.

When I told my friends I was going away for the weekend to climb Mt. Whitney, they laughed incredulously and said I’m insane. “Uh, Dallas, you do know that’s a huge mountain, right?” one asked. I replied that yes, I do know, and I promised to bring back pictures from the top. My friends just don’t understand that I am a real hiker now; I have been preparing for months. I am ready for this challenge. Game on, Whitney!

Mom, however, is not as confident. Even though she has run a handful of marathons, she confides to me: “I have doubts I’ll be able to make it to the top. If I have to stop, you go on without me.”

“We’ll make it together,” I say, and I mean it.

3:13 p.m.
We checked into our hotel room and drove up to the Whitney Portal, otherwise known as the trailhead, or start, of the Mt. Whitney trail. Since it will still be dark in the wee hours tomorrow morning when we make the drive up to the Portal, Mom wants to do it in the daylight today so we will have an idea of where we are going and hopefully won’t get lost. With a one-day hike, we can’t afford to have our start delayed. A few members of our group are camping at the Portal and we’re planning to take a short hike with them this afternoon, to see the trail and get our legs moving after the long car ride.

As we started driving along the road towards the Portal, we noticed dark, ominous clouds brewing ahead. Mt. Whitney is notorious for its sudden thunderstorms, especially in summer. On the hike tomorrow we want to reach the top of the mountain by noon, because that will hopefully give us enough time to get back down below the timberline before the storms roll in up at the top, typically around two or three o’clock.

The rain came quickly, going from a light drizzle to a heavy downpour in a matter of minutes. We kept driving cautiously, the windshield wipers working overtime, when suddenly lightning cracked in the distance and thunder boomed. Looking up at the grim, threatening mountains looming ahead of us, the lightning flashing around their peaks like menacing signs from the heavens, I wondered if my friends are right. Maybe I am insane. What person in their right mind would hike up that mountain, to the very place where the storm was thrashing its hardest? This is nothing like our training hikes. I felt like a toddler forced to go straight from a tricycle to a twelve-gear mountain bike with no steps in between.

I looked at Mom, and she looked at me. Without a word, she turned the car around and we drove to a nearby restaurant billed as “John Wayne’s Favorite Lone Pine Diner!” for a late lunch.

4:02 p.m.
We stepped outside the restaurant to find the storm had stopped and the sun was out again. The regular inhabitants of Lone Pine were going about their business as if storms like that come up without warning all the time, and I guess here they probably do. Calmer in both mind and spirit, Mom and I got into the car and began the fifteen-minute drive up to Whitney Portal again. It seemed like a totally different road and a totally different mountain range looming ahead than it had an hour ago. The mountains were still intimidating (to say the least), but now they didn’t look so evil and threatening without the dark skies and lightning crackling around them.

We met the rest of the group up at the trailhead and hiked the first half-mile or so of the trail. It is a nice trail, at least the part we did, well-marked and treaded by the feet of countless other hikers. It is amazing to think about the thousands and thousands of hikers that have walked on this very trail in the century that people have been climbing Mt. Whitney.

It was so neat to see the hikers coming down the trail who had made it to the top of Whitney today. They all looked so weary, yet also so happy. I hope that will be us tomorrow!

8:11 p.m.
Mom and I had a carbo-loaded dinner and are getting ready for bed. Our backpacks are all packed except for our water bottles frozen in the cooler. Our hiking clothes are laid out and ready. My friends would laugh if they knew I was going to bed at 8 p.m., but we have to wake up very early in the morning and need to get some sleep. But somehow I don’t think it really matters what time I go to bed – I don’t know how I’ll be able to sleep tonight! I am so nervous for the big day tomorrow.

my favorite quick, healthy + gluten-free breakfasts

Posted on August 13, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

I’ve recently began eating a gluten-free diet — my brother found out that he is allergic to gluten and feels much better on a gluten-free diet, and since we share the same genes I thought I would give it a try, too! Breakfast was the meal I felt most stumped by: my quick go-to breakfast used to be a whole-wheat english muffin or toast with peanut butter. I haven’t yet found a gluten-free bread loaf that I love, so I went back to the drawing board.

Here are four of my new favorite healthy, gluten-free breakfasts. They are delicious when enjoyed slowly over the morning newspaper, and are also perfect for busy mornings when you need to eat something quick!

1. Oatmeal with nut butter & fruit. Make sure you use gluten-free oats. I like topping mine with blueberries, walnuts, and a spoonful of almond butter.

2. Greek yogurt + fruit, with a handful of walnuts or almonds on the side. My favorite combo lately: plain greek yogurt + a drizzle of honey + a sliced banana.

3. A smoothie made with greek yogurt and/or a spoonful of nut butter, plus spinach & chia seeds of course! Right now I am loving a combo of strawberries + mango + a sliced peach. And here is a delicious looking recipe from Danica at It’s Progression that I am planning to try out this week.

4. Homemade muffins topped with peanut butter. I try to make a batch of banana muffins or apple-cinnamon muffins {substituting a gluten-free flour blend for the wheat flour} every weekend, and then I get to enjoy them as breakfast and snacks throughout the week.

What are your favorite quick, healthy breakfasts? Please share in the comments below!

year of kindness challenge: week 32

Posted on August 12, 2013 by dallaswoodburn

Hi friends! Thanks for stopping by. How is your day going so far?

I absolutely loved this story about a young man’s act of kindness that totally made a little boy’s — and mom’s — day: http://www.thearenaupdate.com/2013/08/the-mystery-man-at-miller-park.html?m=1

Last week’s kindness challenge was to send someone a postcard with a healing, empowering, or comforting message. I sent a California postcard to the nonprofit Traveling Postcards that will distribute it to a woman somewhere in the world who is working to overcome violence and oppression. I wrote out one of my favorite quotes, by Anais Nin. {If you’re looking for empowering quotations, this website has a great list!}

The Week 32 Kindness Challenge is to plant something. Plant flowers, plant a tree, plant a herb garden in your windowsill. Here is a great article on the best plants to grow indoors: http://greatist.com/health/best-plants-to-grow-indoors. You could also take this metaphorically and plant seeds of friendship or forgiveness.

As always, blog about your experiences and include your links in the comments section below, or feel free to send me an email at dallaswoodburn <AT> gmail <DOT> com.

Have a wonderful week!
Dallas

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